Traitorous Blood
by xoxothesubwayfugitive
Summary: Ginny never got over being possessed by Tom Riddle, and now that he's gone forever, Lucius Malfoy is the only one who can answer her questions. Meanwhile, at Malfoy Manor, Narcissa is in poor health, soon to leave Lucius alone. Will he and Ginny be able to find relief in one another? M for a reason.
1. one

She developed a fear of journals, but she couldn't forget the two men who had overpowered her. Tom, yes, she would think of, but never fondly. She learned right away to hate Tom.

But Lucius.

Lucius was confusing. He had that awful habit of showing up everywhere always, and she began to be able to smell him coming. And he always knew how to lord it over her, the fact that he had ruined one whole year of her life. He could do it with a look too, just one look to remind her that in the end, he had the control.

* * *

When the war was over, everyone stopped talking about it suddenly, as if nothing had happened. Maybe for 3 or 4 months you could get away with saying something along the lines of "Sometimes at night I still worry that the Death Eaters will come", but after a while even that would earn you a strange look. Ginny never spoke of her time possessed, either.

* * *

Once when she was out with her friends, they saw Draco Malfoy. His hair was thinning, and he had a look of malaise about him. Ginny thought that he looked how she felt.

"I almost feel bad for the guy," Ron whispered. "His mum is really sick, and his dad has become a sort of outcast. Never leaves the house apparently."

"Don't feel so bad for them, Ron," Hermione snapped. "It's not like they've earned it."

"I just kind of pity him, that's all."

Ginny stared pointedly into her tea, and wondered how she was going to come up with a reason to go to Malfoy Manor.

* * *

She just wanted an answer to one simple question: why did he do it? What inspired him to punish someone so young, and who was a pureblood on top of it all? Why had he singled her out for a lifetime of torment?

She tried to imagine his answer, but in her mind, unspoiled by years of dark magic, there is no reason good enough to ruin a girl of 11.

* * *

In the end, there was no reason. There was only the knowledge that he, according to Ron, will be there. One morning she woke up, and instead of getting dressed for work, she dressed for a journey.

* * *

"Come in, Ms. Weasley."

"Ginny."

"Ginevra."

"Whatever you like." And she meant it.

"Why did you come?"

"You know what I want to know."

"You want to know about the diary."

"Yes, desperately."

"Then please, come in."

He showed her to a room with a massive fireplace and stiff furniture, and she perched on the edge of a Slytherin green couch. He handed her a glass of wine, and she took it but did not drink. He sat down across from her, took a sip from his own glass, and fixed his eyes with hers. Suddenly, she was afraid.

"Does anyone ever ask you about the diary?"

"No."

"They don't care that you were possessed."

"No."

"I care."

Another sip. Her glass was still shaking in her hands, untouched.

"Tom used me. He made me hate myself. I still hate myself."

"I understand."

He recognized his chance; he leaned forward.

"What if," he drawled, "I could give you something else to obsess over?"


	2. two

"What do you mean?" The glass of wine was still shaking in her hands, and he reached out to take it from her.

"Do you want to go home tonight?" he asked.

She opened her mouth, and then closed it. She was going to say yes, but she imagined her empty flat, and the nightmares she had grown so accustomed to, and she knew the answer.

"I can tell you don't. You wouldn't have come here if you did."

She was staring at her feet.

"You want someone to listen, and you want to forget," he continued.

"I don't think I can ever forget."

"I think you can." He was standing in front of her, holding out his hand. She took it.

* * *

He led her through an unfathomably complicated string of hallways, passing by open doors that revealed excess in space and furnishings.

"Lucius?" she asked, barely bringing her voice above a whisper. He was still gripping her hand.

"Yes?"

"Where is Narcissa?" At her name, his hand tightened ever so slightly, sending a pulse through her body.

"Sick in bed. She need not be bothered by this."

 _His wife is dying,_ she thought, however briefly, _and he has turned his back on her._

He pushed open a door at the end of a hallway, dropping her hand. She didn't follow him straight away, instead standing before one of the massive windows that lined the hall. Outside, the sun was starting to burn off the fog, and she could see extensive, hedge lined gardens. He tutted behind her.

"Come in here."

She turned, and saw him gesturing into the room. It was dark inside, lit by candles in sconces along the walls. When she stepped in, leaving him behind her, she could see it was a massive bedroom, complete with a desk and small sitting area. Curtains were drawn across the windows. He shut the door. They were alone.

"Open the windows," she said, and with a wave of his wand, sunlight streamed in. Dust flew off the curtains, and the room was, for a short minute, hazy.

"I must say I feel responsible for your troubles," he said, moving to sit in one of the chairs. He gestured to a chair across from him, but she didn't sit.

"No one," she said, gritting her teeth, "is more responsible than you."

Ginny closed her eyes, feeling quite dizzy. She had made a mistake, being here. Somewhere, what felt like a thousand miles away, a desk was sitting empty. People must be wondering where she was, and they couldn't possibly guess that she had come of her own free will to sit in a long abandoned bedroom with an infamous Dark wizard. Opening her eyes, she saw him studying her.

"It's time for me to go," she said, trying to raise her voice to a level it hadn't reached yet that day. "I'm making a fool of myself."

"Whatever you want," Lucius said, and he truly seemed not to care. "But you should know that there is nothing foolish about trying to understand the past."

She willed herself to take even one step, but her feet were leaden.

"No one has helped you get better," he went on, "and I want to help. You can stay here, and let it all go."

She felt her body lighten, but instead of turning to the door, she ran to him, and fell on her knees before his chair. He looked as if he had been expecting this, and he placed a finger under her chin to tilt her head up.

"We should kiss," she murmured, but he was already leaning down.

"You will stay," he said, lips a fraction of a centimeter from hers.

She reached up, and tangled her hands into his hair, closing the gap.


	3. three

**Sexual content ahead, beware (or be happy)**

* * *

Lucius stood, leaving her with her eyes closed and head angled up. It took Ginny a moment before she realized he'd gone.

He was standing next to the desk, where a tea service now sat. He held the teapot up as a question, and she nodded, trying to get to her feet gracefully even as her head kept spinning. She went to him, and he handed her a cup.

"Now," he said, leaning to open one of the desk drawers. He extracted a book, eerily similar to Tom Riddle's diary. Ginny tried not to shy away, but it did make her nervous just to see it. He set it down on the desk, and opened it to the first, blank page. He put a quill and ink beside it, and pulled out the desk chair. "I want you to write in this, anything you like as long as it's something, do you understand?" She nodded but did not speak. "I will be back," he said, heading for the door, "and I won't be happy if there is nothing in it when I return."

And then he left, and she was sure the door locked behind him.

* * *

Ginny sat there, tea cooling, for hours, and could not bring herself to so much as touch the quill. The diary, she saw now, wasn't an exact copy of Riddle's – it was larger and bound more handsomely. But still, it was empty, and the blank page taunted her as the sun began its descent outside the windows.

It was dark out when she heard his footsteps coming back down the hall. Ginny slammed the book shut and frantically tried to open the bottle of ink, hoping to give the illusion of having used it.

Lucius stepped in, and shut the door quickly behind him. He raised an eyebrow at the unbroken seal of the ink bottle in her hands, and at the clean quill.

"How interesting," he said. "It seems you didn't follow my instructions at all." He strode forward and snatched up the book, confirming his suspicions. He flipped through the pages, thinking.

"Tell me, Ginevra, have you ever had sexual fantasies about the Dark Lord?" If she was taken aback by this, she did not show it.

"Tom."

"Yes, Tom. When you knew him, he was very handsome, was he not?"

She nodded, and his look urged her to keep speaking.

"I have occasionally thought of him that way," she said, blushing right up to the roots of her hair.

"But you try not to."

Nod again.

"Why can't you allow these fantasies free reign?" he asked.

"It's wrong."

"Wrong because it's him, or because of what you imagine?"'

"Both."

"Well _that_ is interesting."

"I was engaged to a war hero," she said, voice strengthening. "And he did love me. I could have had everything. But I threw it away because of a boy in a book, and my little wants and desires."

"You _loved_ Tom."

"Yes."

"Tell me what you wanted from him." The snake head of his cane is touching her face, and she is once again looking up at him. In the candlelight, he is otherworldly, like someone else she once knew. "And I will give it to you."

* * *

5 minutes later, she was naked on the bed. He stood next to her, still fully clothed, although he had rolled up his sleeves. In his hand was a knife.

"You must lay still," he said. "I will not bind you for this."

She could only nod, and he began.

Starting at her collarbone, he dragged the knife down her chest, and across her hips, and down each her legs in turn. He went on like this for many minutes, rarely raising the blade, but never pressing hard enough to draw blood.

"How do you feel?" he asked, pulling it back and forth across her stomach, just above where her hipbones jutted upwards. Ginny could only moan. The edges of reality were beginning to blur. He brought the knife up to her right arm, and moved it down to the sensitive skin on the interior of her wrist. He did the same on the left. He outlined her breasts, and just as he was finishing the figure 8 he had made there, she pushed up, frantic to feel anything. It was lucky that he seemed to anticipate this, pulling his hand away at the perfect moment so that only one drop of blood was drawn.

"Self-control, dear," he tutted, and began again, even as her chest heaved with the adrenaline.

They played this game for 45 minutes, and when he finally sheathed the knife, there were little specks of blood all over her body. She was covered in a fine layer of sweat as well, and her eyes had closed. While she lay like that, beyond exhausted, he did bind her, pulling her hands above her head to the bedposts, and doing the same with her legs. Her eyes opened at the touch, and as she was about to say something, he shoved a piece of cloth in her mouth.

"Nothing from you now," he said.

Then Lucius reached into his back pocket, and pulled out a single leather glove, which he slipped on. He took the hand to her cunt, and slowly slid a finger inside. Ginny pulled at her bonds, thrashing to be freed.

"As I suspected. Sopping," he said, holding up the hand so she could see the wetness. With his non-gloved hand, he took her gag out, and then replaced it with the glistening finger. She sucked, although her eyes betrayed disgust.

"What would Tom do now? Let you have your pleasure?" She blushed again, and shook her head no.

"No, he never was a gentleman," Lucius agreed, shedding the glove and placing it on her stomach. "I'll leave you to your thoughts, then." And before she could say anything, before she could call out, he was across the room with his hand on the doorknob, putting out the candles with a wave of his wand.


	4. four

**More sexual content, just a heads up**

* * *

Narcissa smiled when he came back to their room. She was very frail now, and the Healers, unable to diagnose her, had recently whispered to him that her days were numbered.

"How are you, darling?" he asked, sitting gently next to her on the bed and pushing her hair off her face.

"So much better now that you've returned. Where did you get to all day?"

"I'm sorry to have been so absent, but I had quite a lot of work. I was just holed up in the study."

"You work too hard."

"Perhaps," he mused, sliding down into bed with her, "but I won't you leave you for so long again."

She relaxed in his arms, and they slept.

* * *

Early the next morning, before the sun had even really risen, Lucius slipped out of bed and made his way, in his dressing gown and pajamas, to Ginny's room. He was not surprised to find her wide awake, glaring at him when he entered. She had managed to thrash the glove off her stomach, but otherwise remained firmly bound.

"Sleep well?" he asked in a conversational sort of way as he sat down next to her. Her eyes were alight with a fire that hadn't been there the day before.

"Bastard," she spat out, even as he began to free her.

"Yes, this was bad of me, wasn't it? I'm sure Tom Riddle would be ashamed. Actually…" He trailed off, appearing to contemplate this as he rubbed her sore wrist.

"You think you're clever then, showing me how wrong I was to want this?" Ginny shifted on the bed, swinging her legs off the side. A wet spot was revealed on the coverlet when she moved.

"Is it wrong even if you enjoyed it?" he asked, eying the damp place.

"Yes," she said back, stubborn to the end.

"Another intriguing thought."

She raised her hand up to slap him, but he was quicker, and snatched her wrist in midair.

"Now, now, let's not be hasty. You came to me, remember?" Lucius lowered her arm but kept a grip on her, leaning closer. "You wanted this."

And he kissed her, very deeply, until he felt her relax. When he released her, she wrapped her arms around him of her own free will, and laid back on the bed.

"More," she whispered, pushing his dressing gown off and making for the buttons on his pajamas.

He wanted her. It had been a long time for him, and life was only getting harder as Narcissa continued to fail. But this wasn't about him. Or rather, despite his put-on confidence, he had no idea _what_ it was about. Lucius decided that he needed to decide what he was trying to do before he took this girl any farther down his rabbit hole, and with difficultly, he pulled away from her grasp.

"I don't think this is the time," he said, remaining composed. Ginny sat back on her elbows and looked at him, disappointed, pleading with half-closed, needy eyes. Lucius dipped down and retrieved his dressing gown, and found his wand in its pockets. He waved it, and breakfast appeared on the desk. "You are not my prisoner, although I do want to help you, and have you here. Leave, for today, and come back in the morning if you wish to commit to this."

"Commit to what?" she asked, confused by his oscillating signals.

"I do not know exactly," he confessed, tying his dressing gown, "but haven't the past hours already been better than anything else you've tried? There's Floo powder on the mantle."

Then he left yet again.

* * *

She ate, and took a shower in the luxurious adjoining bathroom, and got dressed in the same clothes she had come in. After all that had happened, they felt remarkably plain. She Flooed back to her empty apartment, and found that it was still early enough to get to work on time. She got dressed and made her way to the Ministry, where she had a desk job in the Auror office. They wanted her in the field, and offered the promotion regularly, but she never really trusted herself in those situations anymore. Immediately upon arriving, she knocked on her boss's door to apologize for the day before.

"I don't know what came over me," she said, and he had smiled kindly. Allowances were always made for her, being who she was. Ginny went on to ask for two weeks vacation, effective immediately. Since Lucius had locked the door behind him that morning, she had had no doubt of what she wanted to do. "I think I really need it right now," she explained, "and you know I've never really taken advantage my vacation time before." He sent her back to her desk to set everything in order for her time away, and that was the end of that.

She went to home after work and sat down to write a letter home, explaining that she felt she needed time away to sort out some things in her life, and not to worry. Trusting that her mother and whoever happened to be at the Burrow at that time would spread the news like wildfire, she ate a sandwich for dinner, and went to sleep.

* * *

When he stepped out of Ginny's room that morning, Lucius paused. He was hard, very hard, and had tried to ease his way out before she would notice. Trusting that she could not hear anything in her enchanted room, and that no one would make their way to that part of the Manor so early in the morning, he leaned up against the window frame, looking out over the grounds. Shamefully, he dug his hand down the front of his pajama pants and began furtively masturbating. As he came, biting his lip hard to try and suppress his groans, he could see her before his eyes, lying there, asking him to take her.

He cleaned up his mess with a wave of his wand, and went back to Narcissa, blushing only a little at his foolishness.

* * *

 **I _promise_ these two are going to have some very naughty fun in the next chapter, so stay on the alert.**


	5. five

**This chapter is a fun one ;)**

* * *

In the morning Ginny woke up and got ready. She did not try to make anything of herself, forgoing makeup and fancy clothes, knowing that no matter how she came to him, he would make her exactly how he wished. She checked that all the doors around her flat were locked, and that there was nothing too perishable in the refrigerator, and then she stepped very confidently into the fireplace, calling out to be taken to Malfoy Manor.

She tumbled onto the hearth of the same bedroom, and Lucius was there, in the same chair, waiting. He didn't so much as blink as she straightened up and brushed off her clothes. On the little table next to him sat the same blank book, and the ink, and the quill.

"Hello, Ginevra," he said, not standing to greet her. He opened the book on his lap, and began to open the ink bottle. "Come kneel here, please." Ginny did as told, staring down at the page. "Give me your hand." She did, and he put the quill in it. "Write for me. Anything."

She chanced a look up at him, and he looked back, unreadable.

"Anything," he prompted again. She placed her left hand on the inside of the book's cover, for balance, and moved to hold the quill at the top of the first page. She stared down, still for a long while.

"I don't…" she began in a small voice, terrified that the book would write back.

"For god's sakes girl," he snarled, patience failing. "Why don't you just write about exactly how you'd like me to fuck you?"

Ginny looked up again, and her mouth fell slightly open as his eyes searched her. She began to write.

 _When I left yesterday,_ she wrote, and then stopped, waiting. She waited for a long time, for the ink to vanish, for something else to appear on the page, anything. But nothing did. Her words remained, drying before her. Lucius shifted slightly in his seat, and held out the ink. She dipped her quill again, and continued.

 _I was wet._ Above her, he coughed, but she didn't look up. _But I didn't go home and touch myself, or stay in bed all day. I went to work, and explained myself, and explained I would need time off, so that I could come back here to get what I want. I want to know the man who inflicted such pain on me, who turned everything upside down when I was just a little girl. No one but you and I know how damaged I am. Together, I think, we can fix it._

 _You want to know how I want to fuck._ Ginny looked to him, and saw undisguised greed in his eyes. An image flashed before her eyes, and she was worried she wouldn't be able to write it down quickly enough. _I'll tell you: I want you to take me on the floor, from behind. I want you to force my head down and pull my ass up and grip my hips, hard. I don't want to see you._

She had to turn the page, and she shifted her body as she did, lifting up a little higher. From there, Ginny could see the growing bulge in his pants, but she didn't look to his face again.

 _Call me names. Call me a slut, or a whore. Reach around and grab my nipples, and do not listen when I scream out._

She stopped to consider what next, putting the end of the quill right next to her lips. Ginny understood exactly the picture she was painting for the man watching her.

 _Make me you…_

The "rs" was scribbled very poorly, for it was then that he threw the book aside and grabbed her arms, heaving her upwards with him.

"Naughty girl," he said, already panting as he pulled her shirt over her head. "Do your friends know you talk this way? That you want a Death Eater so badly that you'll get down on your knees and ask for it?"

"No," she said, fumbling with what felt like 100 buttons on his shirt. "But if they did I might feel they understand me better."

They finally managed to strip one another down to nothing, and then Lucius turned her around and pushed her down to the floor. Her knees landed in a pool of ink from the bottle he had spilled in haste, but Ginny made little note of it as he came down behind her and pressed her shoulders forward to the ground. For a fleeting moment, she felt fear.

"Is this how you wanted it, slut?" he asked. She could feel him teasing her entrance, rubbing his cock up and down. She pushed back against him, and he pulled back farther, continuing to tease.

"Yes," she gasped, and his hands came to the bend of her hips.

"Here?"

"Yes." This came with a desperate moan, halfway to a howl.

"Say please."

"Please."

He thrust in, and she squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself with her hands out in front of her. Maybe it was the angle, but he felt so much bigger than anything she had known before. The wood floor was cold on her cheek, but the rest of her body was burning, especially where his hands touched her. She heard him groan, and then he began to move. It was rough, and as she had predicted, she was screaming out. As she had asked, he did nothing in response.

He jerked her head up by her hair, growling out obscenities. In front of her, the diary lay open, and she could see the trail her quill had left when he pulled her to her feet.

"Look at it, whore," he said, only pulling harder.

Ginny could tell she wouldn't come from this coupling; she didn't care.

"Please, please, please come inside me," she managed to breathe out between unintelligible noises, and that was all it took. He shifted slightly, leaning forward, and grabbed her nipples, pinching hard. With a long grunt and one last thrust, she felt him fill her. As soon as he was finished he released her, and she collapsed forward, splaying out on the floor. Next to her, she heard him do the same. They just lay like that for several minutes, letting their breath return and the sweat begin to evaporate.

"Diaries aren't _so_ bad now, are they?" he finally asked, and she rolled over to look at him. Lucius was lying on his back, hands behind his head. He looked very pleased with himself.

"Two weeks," she said. "I have two weeks to stay."


	6. six

When she woke up, the first thing she noticed was the hard floor, and how uncomfortable she was. Then she noticed Lucius starting to get up himself, and that his knees were black with ink. He stood and moved to the bed, where he pulled the covers back. Ginny lifted up on her elbows, and looked down at her own knees, also black. She didn't really notice, or maybe she just didn't care, that they were both still naked.

"Shit," he said, turning to her. "You're awake. I was hoping to get you in bed before you woke."

"How long were we asleep?"

"Not very. Maybe 45 minutes. But I have to go." He came to stand by her side and lifted her up easily. Then he laid her in the bed, pulling the covers up tight. Ginny watched him go back to the sitting area and start to get dressed again. The bed was very comfortable, and she began to feel drowsy again. Outside, the morning light was warming.

"Go where?"

"Go pretend you're not here, and that this isn't happening. Go live my life." He muttered a spell to clean up the ink, and crouched to pick up the diary, which he set back on the table. "Not that I don't want to be with you," he said, swiveling back to face her, looking afraid he had offended. "But there are a lot of things that need my attention, Narcissa and all…"

"I understand," she mumbled, falling back to sleep.

"I'll be back today. And your lunch will be here soon, so don't worry."

"I'm not worried."

And for once, it was the truth.

* * *

When she woke, after a short nap, there was a bowl of soup and a beautiful salad on the desk. She slid out of bed and slipped on a robe she found in the wardrobe. It was really like staying in a very nice hotel, with therapy provided.

 _But is this really therapeutic?_ a voice in her head nagged. _Or are you just here to fuck a man you've been obsessed with for the past ten years?_

 _It is therapeutic,_ she nagged back. _It really is. He wants to help me move on, and no one else has ever even tried._

 _But why?_

At that she pushed the voice to the back of her mind, and sat down to eat.

* * *

After she finished lunch, Ginny's eyes wandered to the diary that was still lying on the desk. Hesitant, she reached out to touch it, and then pulled it closer. It really was very nicely made, and must have been quite expensive. Blushing, she turned through the pages she had written earlier, and traced her finger down the line that the quill had left when he pulled the book away. She thought for a moment of picking up the quill to write something new, but decided against it, opting for a shower instead.

* * *

Narcissa was sleeping again, after her private Healer had made his daily visit and poked and prodded her for well over an hour. The man brought Lucius into the hall as she rested, and gave him more bitter news.

"Only a few days, I think. I'm truly sorry."

Lucius just pressed his lips tight together and nodded stiffly once. The Healer put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder and then turned to go.

Lucius peeked back into the bedroom, and found Narcissa still sleeping. He took comfort in the fact that she hadn't yet noticed him leaving her for Ginny's room, and hoped that if he keeps his visits sporadic and short enough, she never would. Shutting the door, he made his way to the other wing.

* * *

She felt a little stir crazy as she waited for him to return, and began to second guess the whole plan. Maybe it was better if she really did just go to the beach, or to a nice hotel somewhere far away. Then she wouldn't have to lie, or deal with the emotional implications of all this once she had to return to her job and life and friends. Ginny glanced at her wand where she had abandoned it on the coffee table, and considered putting it back in her pocket.

 _What do you think is going to happen?_ the voice pestered. _If you're afraid he'll hurt you, you should go._

 _He won't hurt me,_ she insisted.

 _Why not?_

* * *

It had been a long walk through the Manor for Lucius; he had never cheated on Narcissa before, never hurt her in any way, and yet as she lay dying he was abandoning her for some girl who had appeared on their doorstep. But the only thought worse than that of what he was doing was the thought of having no one to go to at all. With a heavy heart, he entered Ginny's room.

She was lying stretched out on the bed, reading a book. As he entered, she glanced up only momentarily, smiling but seeming not to care about his presence. He glanced around: the dresser was open and she had clearly rummaged through the clothes there (it was enchanted to provide clothes to fit the guest), a towel was lying near the bathroom door, and dishes were haphazardly stacked next to the diary, which was lying open.

"Didn't feel like writing anything?"

"No."

He went to sit down.

"What are you going to do to me now?" she asked, rolling over onto her back, still engrossed in the book.

He looked at her, hair hanging off the edge of the bed, shirt creeping up as her arms rose above her head. She truly did not seem to care that he had come.

"If you don't want to be here, Ginevra, you are certainly free to go."

At that she finally shut the book and rolled her head to look at him.

"I do want to be here." She noted that he looked pale, more so than usual, and saw pain in his eyes. "Do you want me to be?"

"Unfortunately."

"How nice to be unfortunate."

"Don't misunderstand. Narcissa is just very sick, and I feel bad for leaving her that way. But I can't…I can't resist."

Ginny rolled over onto all fours, staring him down.

"Resist what?"

He looked at her, unable to ignore the burnished shine of her hair, and the glint in her eyes.

"You." Lucius began to stand, and she sat back on her heels.

"Which part of me?"

"Your breasts."

She pulled her shirt over her head, and threw it to him. He caught it, and stared.

"And?"

"And your hair." He moved forward again, and pushed a strand behind her ear. "And how soft your skin is." He put his mouth next to her ear, and kissed it lightly. "And the way you moan."

She pushed her chest towards his, and he reached around to unhook her bra. As it fell away and he pulled back to remove it completely, she looked up at him through heavy eyelashes.

"What am I doing here?" she breathed, even as he pushed her back and began to unzip her jeans.


	7. seven

There, locked in each other's arms, nothing could touch them. It was warm and safe, skin on skin, cheek to cheek.

"Why did you come here?" he asked.

"I don't know," she whispered. "Why did you let me in?"

"I don't know. Or rather, I didn't."

"But you know now?"

"Maybe."

"Maybe," she repeated as she traced her finger up and down his arm.

"I want to sleep here," he said, "but I can't."

"I know. I'll be here in the morning. Don't worry."

Lucius released her, and stood. Ginny burrowed deeper under the covers, watching him get dressed. Halfway through, with his pants still hanging open and his shirt only half buttoned, he turned back to her.

"It's not right for you to be trapped in here like this."

"I'm here of my own free will."

"Still. Just come out and have dinner with me. It doesn't really matter, there's no one here." Desperation tinged his voice.

"But what if someone were to come? Draco, or a Healer?" She was already halfway out of the bed, despite her protests.

"The Healers knock, and Draco doesn't come unannounced anymore." Lucius's face creased at this, as if it were difficult to say. "However, if anyone sees, say you're from the Ministry and you're investigating my artifact collection, or some such thing."

Ginny smiled.

"So we'll lie?"

"To get away with something like this?" He was smiling too. "We must."

* * *

Ginny was wandering around the Manor alone when it happened. Lucius had given her free reign of the whole house and grounds, after a short tour, the night before and she was eager to begin exploring. She was sure that she was far, far away from the family's private wing when she opened the door at the end of a long hallway, but apparently she was wrong. There lay Narcissa, frail and swallowed whole by the giant bed. Everything about her was white: the sheets, her nightgown, her hair, her papery skin. She turned her head as Ginny entered, and smiled slowly.

"Hello," she said, in a sweet sort of voice, very different from the few times Ginny had heard her speak before. "Who are you?"

Ginny remembered the lie she and Lucius had developed as she fought the urge to scarper. Her eyes darted around the room; Narcissa's wand lay abandoned on the bedside table, and on the dresser there were stacks of medical supplies and many half-empty potions bottles, though otherwise everything was neat. A chair was pulled up next to the bed, and Ginny could picture Lucius sitting there during the hours he was not with her.

"I'm so sorry Ma'am, I'll leave straight away. I'm here on a little Ministry business and I got turned around. I hate to have disturbed you."

"Easy to do in this big old house, I'm afraid. I don't think I ever learned all the passages, at least not as well as my husband," Narcissa said, smiling with her eyes half closed, as if she could see herself wandering the halls at another time. "He'll be back soon, and he can show you the way to where you're going. But why don't you sit? I don't get many visitors, not like when I first got sick."

With a forced smile, Ginny sat in the chair by the bed, and stared down at her feet. They sat in silence while Ginny considered whether or not it would be stupid to ask how Narcissa was feeling.

"Such pretty hair," Narcissa murmured, and Ginny chanced a glance over at her. It was clear she was falling back to sleep, body relaxing into her stack of pillows. "It reminds me of a girl I went to school with. She and I weren't friends, though."

Ginny just kept smiling, hoping that Narcissa would fall asleep and she could escape.

Behind her, the door clicked open, and then shut. Soft footsteps came in, and she chanced a glance over her shoulder. Of course it was Lucius, and at his entrance Narcissa stirred slightly, seemingly self-conscious.

"Lucius, this girl needs your help."

Ginny stood and moved away from the bed, switching places with Lucius. He took Narcissa's hand and rubbed his thumb across it.

"Yes, darling. Rest now, and I will return."

He bent to kiss her, and Ginny felt a twinge in her heart. Narcissa's eyes opened slightly, and she looked to Ginny. A fog seemingly glazed her eyes.

"You must take care of him, dear."

Ginny just stared, beyond unsure of what to say. Lucius turned back to her, and gestured for her to leave.

On the other side of the door, Lucius grabbed Ginny's hand, and as they stood chest to chest her eyes welled with tears.

"Lucius," she said in a strangled kind of way, "what _happened_ to her?"


	8. eight

Lucius walked back to her room with her, silent the whole way. At the door he stepped away from her, staring over her shoulder out the window to the gardens.

"I think you should go write in your diary for a while. Can you?"

Ginny nodded, afraid to speak in case her voice should betray the fear she felt after seeing Narcissa. It was so obvious that this woman, only a few months ago in the prime of life, had been damaged by something other than routine illness. The woman she had seen had long ago left herself behind.

"Good," Lucius said, touching her cheek. "Go do that, and I will come back when I can."

* * *

 _Very few living people know that you gave me the diary. My parents don't even know; I didn't want to see my father kill you in the streets if he should have found out. But I always knew, Lucius, because although you thought you were being sneaky, I saw you place the journal in my cauldron on a hot, fateful day in Flourish and Blotts._

 _Even after Tom had gone, I would still think of you and wonder why I had been chosen for your most important task. I would think about it constantly, and then that would bring me back to thinking of the diary, and then I would recede back into myself yet again. Slowly but surely, the people in my life began to give up on me, not outwardly, of course not, but in my heart I knew I was a lost cause to them._

 _"Oh, poor Ginny," I imagined my family would say someday at Christmas as they watched me from afar. "She was never the same after the Dark Lord's touch." And my nieces and nephews would come to see me as pitiable, an outsider._

 _I came to the source. You knew him more closely than anyone who lives still, and you too were powerless in his presence. That is why I came. To look in the mirror._

He read it in front of her, then closed the book and laid it on the table, holding his head in his hands. Ginny reached out to touch his knee, and he looked up. They locked eyes, and it felt like nothing ever had.

"Here is your mirror," he said. "Do you like what you see?"

"The reflection is distorted," she said. "There's no way to know."

* * *

They went to walk in the gardens, to give themselves something to do while he tried to explain one thing after another.

"She can't exactly remember the incident, and I don't tell her about it. But it is very much my fault, and I came to hate myself for it. She's been deteriorating this way for almost a year, no doubt you've heard the gossip about my newfound reclusive nature. Now you can understand why I choose to leave society behind – how could I face it?" He looked at her, eyes asking for forgiveness. "You'll want to punish me, to leave. You will tell someone the truth."

"I opened the Chamber of Secrets," she said slowly, tightening her grasp on him, "and no one ever punished me."

"Ah, but once again, that was _my_ fault. Everything has been traceable right back to me."

"Everything?"

"I funded the Dark Lord, I poisoned your soul, I…my wife will soon be dead because of things I have done. Not directly to her; I have rarely done anything that directly hurts someone. But I've always been the beginning of the chain reactions."

"A catalyst," Ginny murmured.

"And very little more."

The settled on a bench next to a small pond full of fantastic magical plants. Every so often, gem colored fish would jump from the water to impossible heights and fall back with almost no splash. The sounds they made as they hit the surface were like chimes; Ginny was mesmerized by the performance.

"This pond has been here for centuries, ever since the Manor was built. It sustains its own life and appearance without any help from humans, and although it's small, it's unfathomably deep."

She pulled her eyes away from the shimmering water and looked back to him.

"You're changing the subject," she said coolly.

"Only to tell you about something in which you seem interested."

"Yes, but you know there are other things I'm far more interested in."

"Oh, those." He waved his hand in dismissal, a sad smile on his face.

"What will make it easier?" she asked, desperate for him to stop speaking in vague riddles.

"Nothing."

"Maybe not, but I have an idea." Ginny stood, and offered her hand. He waited a beat, watching a trio of shining fish in their acrobatics, before he took it.

* * *

 _After the war, I was pardoned, as you know, by Harry Potter. Our whole family was, under the conditions that the colors we showed at the end of the war remained true. So, as you may also know, a team of Aurors came here and turned the house upside down looking for Dark objects: potions, books, anything. I showed no resistance, because on the outside, I was simply glad to have made it out with my family intact. Draco and Narcissa, both of whom have better hearts than I do, were truly excited by our chance to try again. They made new friends, Draco got a good job, Narcissa and her sister reconciled; for them, life was new._

 _I, however, had cleverly hidden one last box full of artifacts. Nothing I truly believed to be dangerous, but things that would have been taken otherwise. They were either family heirlooms, or very valuable, or both, and at the time parting from them seemed like a sin against my true self._

 _The box was never as well hidden as I thought, and one day about a year ago, Draco and Narcissa were working on getting rid of some old things in the spare rooms. I realized too late that they were working in the room where I had placed the box, disguised as ordinary junk, and by the time I got there to take it away, they were already elbow deep in it. I watched as Narcissa placed her hand on the one thing I had always had qualms about keeping, the one thing that truly should have been taken away. Luckily I managed to grab Draco away from reaching out his hand for it, but it was too late for her. By the time I ordered her to drop it, I already saw the first light going from her eyes._

Ginny read this from the diary alone in her room over dinner; Draco had sent an owl while Lucius was writing informing him that he would be by to visit his mother, and Lucius had immediately jumped up and left in a nervous panic. As she read over the page again and again, spooning soup thoughtlessly into her mouth, Ginny wished that someone would come and place their hand on her shoulder and tell her how to feel.


	9. nine

**Howdy, I just wanted to drop by to say that I'm going to stop putting those italicized bits at the beginning of the chapters. I had them there because originally this story was meant to be much shorter and in drafts each chapter neatly contained one main plot point, but now it's getting way longer than I ever thought (which is pleasing to me, since I usually can't write anything long to save my life!) and I can't keep coming up with new ones that make sense. I may go delete the old ones or I may not, but this is definitely where they'll stop.**

 **I hope you're enjoying this! Please leave reviews!**

* * *

"Ginevra?" Lucius had opened the door to her room just a crack, letting the light from the hallway send a sliver over to where she sat curled in an armchair. The room was dark except for the little lamp at the bedside, and she was facing away from him. He shut the door behind him and crept over to her side. When he drew closer he could see that the table next to her had the diary spread out on it, next to a half-drunk cup of tea and her wand. He tutted at the scene.

"Draco has gone," he said, crouching next to her and pulling her hand down to hold in his. "What do you want to do?" She still hadn't looked at him.

Lucius shifted from a squat to sit down all the way at her feet. He pointed his wand at the fireplace and a fire appeared there instantly, sending shifting shadows across their faces. Still he waited.

"I want to keep things as honest as I can with you," he said, braving the silence. "And if that will mean you want to leave, that will be for the best."

"I don't want to leave," Ginny finally said, although she didn't move. Lucius's sigh of relief was audible, and at the sound, she smiled to herself.

"How wonderful it is," she said, standing and stretching, "to have found someone to be honest with." He looked up to her from the floor, and she beamed down, face alight with fire.

"You're an angel," he said, starstruck by her beauty.

"Yes," she mused, "maybe I am."

* * *

In the morning, they woke up next to one another, and Ginny thought nothing had ever felt so nice. But then, instantly, she realized that he must be missed on the other side of the house, and she shook him awake.

"Lucius," she said, urging him to rouse, "Lucius, you must go. You fell asleep here, Narcissa will miss you…"

"No," he said, batting her hands away and rolling over. "She won't. She's convinced now that sleeping together will transfer her illness to me, and she wants to save me. This is what she wanted."

"This probably isn't what she had in mind, exactly."

"Oh, maybe not exactly, but it's in the spirit of her wishes." He was wide awake then, eyes roaming down her naked torso. "But let's not talk of her anymore."

Ginny blushed but made no protest as he shifted towards her, taking one of her breasts in his hand and placing his mouth on the swell of the other.

"Let's just talk of this," he sighed into her soft flesh. "Or maybe not talk at all."

Ginny's eyes had closed, focusing on the feeling of him worshipping her. Unconsciously, she drew her hands up to the sides of her breasts and squeezed them lightly, offering herself to him. He groaned with delight, or maybe frustration, and moved his head frantically between the two, as if afraid of missing any part of her. Then his hands went down to her hips, and he rolled to his back, pulling her with him. She straddled him instinctively, laughing at the abrupt move. His hands began to roam again.

"I want you to…" he began, but she stopped him with a kiss.

"I know," she said, taking her hand down between them, rubbing his growing erection. "I know."

"Then do it," he groaned. Her hands were so lovely and soft, and her touch was so wonderful...

"No," she replied, only slowing down her ministrations. "Be patient."

"You know I am not a patient man."

"Never too late to learn."

She slid down and took him in her mouth, just barely. Lucius hissed and tangled his hands in her hair.

"All the way, witch," he said, trying to press her down farther, but again she resisted.

"Patience," she intoned, pulling up with a maddening lap of her tongue and grinning at him. Ginny did feel a little sorry for him, lying there begging, so she shifted her body back up, and placed herself right over his cock.

"Say please," she ordered, rubbing her thumb along his lower lip.

"Please," he said back, barely audible, and as his mouth opened she let her thumb slip inside.

Ginny began to sink down onto him, eyes closed tight with concentration on the feeling. As she moved, he took her thumb farther into his mouth, sucking as he lost himself in her. She let out a sigh as she seated herself completely on him, and she pulled her hand away from him to run her hands back through her hair, which had begun to stick to her forehead with sweat.

"Very good," she said shakily. Ginny's eyes met his, and she saw with surprise that he was smiling the same cunning smile always, despite his previous air of suffering.

"Yes, very," he said, and he took her moment of distraction to grasp her hard and flip them both over, pining her to the bed. Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around him, and then her arms too, pulling his chest down to meet hers.

"You're being a tease, aren't you?" he growled in her ear.

"Yes," she panted.

"But you need me to fuck you, despite your protests, don't you?"

"Yes."

"If you say you're sorry for playing coy with me, I will."

"I'm sorry!"

"Good girl."

* * *

Ginny was surprised to find him still there when she emerged from the shower, feeling clean and peaceful. Lucius was looking out the window, leaning just next to the curtain.

"I don't want to go back to her alone," he said, eyes fixed on some point in the distance.

"Well," she said, pulling her hair out of its towel and beginning to comb through it with her fingers, "I think you must."

"Her sister is coming today, and I just can't stand the way she looks at me. As if she knows."

"Does she?"

"She is a Black girl, after all," he said, turning to her with a wry look. "And they always did cause trouble."

"Well, if she sees me she certainly won't like you any more than she does now. Besides, she thinks I'm on a tropical beach somewhere. Just go, and hurry. You've been away long enough." She was really losing patience with him, and the news that Andromeda would be there had ruined her plans to go flying in the garden that afternoon.

"My, what cruelty," he said loftily, even as he made his way to the door, looking upset. "I suppose I'll come back later then, if you still want me."

"Oh, don't play this way with me. I will see you later."

The door slammed shut, and she sat down hard in an armchair, letting her towel fall away.

* * *

When he returned, he found Ginny leaning out the window into the warm summer day, apparently trying to catch something with her bare hands.

"What on earth are you doing?" he asked, afraid to approach lest he should frighten her into falling.

"Thought I saw a nargle," she said out to the sky before drawing back into the room, smiling broadly. "I have a friend who'd like to see one."

"You can't really believe in those, can you?"

"I believe in a lot of things," she said, leaning back against the sill, hair blowing around her head. "Although some of them are mostly for Luna's sake."

Lucius felt a twinge of guilt at the Lovegood girl's name; it had been him, after all, who kept her locked away for so long. He shook his head and tried to forget her pale face in the dark of the cellar, and focus on Ginny instead.

"I couldn't hide the truth from Andromeda any longer; I've told her everything about Narcissa's real illness."

"And what did she say?"

"She was far more understanding than I could have ever hoped. All she wanted to know was if I was sure there truly wasn't a way to help her, and I assured her that I have consulted every possible book that would tell of such Dark magic."

"And you really don't think there's anyone you could ask, anyone who knows the answer?"

"I think that everyone who knows these things is dead, or halfway to mad in Azkaban."

Ginny tilted her head back and closed her eyes, considering these facts as sun warmed her face. Lucius was probably right; there wasn't much knowledge of Dark magic anymore, at least not in Britain. Ginny had always thought this turning of a blind eye to be misguided, but given the times that the wizarding world had suffered through, it was understandable.

"Also," Lucius said, voice quivering ever so slightly, "I did tell Andromeda one more thing."

Ginny's head snapped up, and she knew straight away from his embarrassed posture what exactly it was he had told.

"You didn't."

"I did. Forgive me. Once I started I found I couldn't stop, and she was strangely understanding about this, too. She's actually still downstairs, insisting we all have dinner together."

Ginny had fallen to sit cross legged, back to the wall. She was staring at the frayed hem of her jean shorts, and began to pick at it absentmindedly.

"I guess we had better go down then," she said.

"Yes, we really should."


	10. ten

Ginny changed into a dress, and she and Lucius walked down to where Andromeda was waiting for them. Putting on a big, fake smile, Ginny wrapped Andromeda into a tight hug.

"It's been too long, Andy! Tell me, how is Teddy?"

It was obvious that Andromeda was seeing right through this performance, but she swallowed hard and answered anyway.

"Teddy? Same as always, I suppose. Desperately excited to go to Hogwarts, no matter how many times I tell him that two years is a lot longer to wait than he thinks. He misses his Aunt Gin- "

But Lucius cut her off there, ushering them onto the terrace, where a table for three was set.

"Make the girls some drinks, why don't you Lucius?" Andromeda said, still holding Ginny's arm from the hug. "Nothing like those awful, sweet things you used to make at school, though."

"I trust you know that I've matured since then, Andromeda," he said, even as he obliged and went back into the house. Watching for a moment to make sure he'd gone, Andromeda dragged Ginny down the steps into the garden.

"What has he done to you, silly girl?" she asked in a harsh whisper as they walked, far too quickly for Ginny's liking, away from the house.

"Done?" asked Ginny, wresting her arm away and wincing as she massaged it.

"The Ginny Weasley I know would certainly not lie to her family to run away to Malfoy Manor and have an affair with a married man, particularly not _this_ married man. So tell me how you've got here, and I'll help you."

"Andromeda, you're out of line. Although I may appear to you a foolish little girl, I'm completely aware of what I'm doing here, thank you. If you don't want to accept this, don't, but I don't need saving."

For a moment, Andromeda stood still and looked as if she had been physically struck, but she recovered fairly quickly, and the two continued their walk at a slower pace.

"Let me tell you why I came, and maybe you'll understand. I never got better after the diary; when it died, it was as if my soul went with it. No one else I know has ever given themselves so fully to a mere _thing._ And sometimes people would talk to me about it, but eventually they all stopped, as if they couldn't imagine that it had really hurt that badly. Fred and George were best, they would listen to me as much as I needed, but then they got busy with the store and then…"

Ginny trailed off, thinking of George, now as broken as she, and Fred, who would certainly never have let her end up on the steps of Malfoy Manor if he could have stopped it.

Up on the terrace, Lucius had come back out with the drinks, and although they were far from him, he watched as intently as if they were all conversing together. The women stopped walking, finding themselves at the pond with the jumping fish. They watched them dance for a while, and then, in perfect sync, turned to walk back to the house.

"Teddy really does miss you, you know. Whenever Harry comes over, he asks where Aunt Ginny is."

"And what do you tell him?"

"We say that Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry are having a bit of an argument."

"Two years having a bit of an argument, a thing like that," Ginny scoffed.

"Harry misses you desperately, too. He won't see anyone else, won't have anyone else. If you come back, everything can be forgotten, even this."

"This is a very big thing to forget, Andy. Bigger than you may realize."

"If you saw him, you would know. He's reaching desperation."

"So am I."

* * *

They all tried to have companionable dinner conversation, avoiding topics of Narcissa, and Harry, and Lucius and Ginny's life together. They talked more about Teddy, who was apparently becoming somewhat of a handful with all his burgeoning magic, and of the upcoming Quidditch World Cup. Time passed faster than they had all thought, and by sunset they were finished with dessert.

"Maybe I'll leave you two to catch up, and go check on Narcissa."

"Maybe you should," said Andromeda, taking a large sip of wine and glaring at him. Small talk and pleasantries could only take her so far, it appeared.

Lucius made a small bow to them and went inside, disappearing quickly into the dark of the house.

"So how did you make your way here?" Andromeda asked, wasting no time getting back to her goal.

"I thought Lucius would have told you that. When he poured all his troubles out to you."

Andromeda laughed, and it reminded Ginny eerily of Bellatrix.

"Is that what he told you? That he made some great confession to me? No, darling, _Narcissa_ told me you were here. She was mumbling about some girl who looked _just like_ our old schoolmate Molly Weasley wandering about the house, and Lucius only confirmed it once I pestered him."

Andromeda took in Ginny's face, but did not speak on. Ginny, hurt at Lucius's lie, managed to stay calm and move forward.

"Well, I heard that Lucius would be here – Ron said something about him being a recluse. And I've always been…I've always wanted to know more from him. Something inside me snapped, and I found myself on his doorstep. It was like he'd been waiting for me when I arrived; I stayed."

Ginny said it all simply, as if there could be no debate about these facts.

"Sometimes," she finished, "when you don't know what to do, all you can do is stay."


	11. eleven

Andromeda stayed.

"Narcissa won't last the week and I want to be with her, and you clearly have the space," she said as they walked all together through the Manor's halls, peering into every guest room. Finally Andromeda found one that suited her, and with a wave of her hand she dismissed them.

"Go do whatever it is you two do, and don't bother me with it."

They joined hands as soon as her door shut, both exhaling.

"Shall we go do whatever we do, then?" he asked, mischievous as ever.

"I suppose there's nothing else we can do." But she was smiling too, and they were both happy as they walked back to her room.

* * *

It was that night, however, that it happened for the first time. Ginny woke them both with the thrashing that came from one of her nightmares, and although he managed to calm her and drag her out of the dream world, she could hardly sleep for the rest of the night. The next morning she wasn't herself; she seemed skittish and wouldn't say much to him, even as he gently kissed her all over.

"What happened?" he whispered, even as he saw the sun moving higher in the sky, knowing he should be with Narcissa. "In the dream?"

"Same as always. He comes and tells me to do something terrible, and I just do it, without thinking at all. And then when I wake up, I'm still so convinced it really happened. Because in the past, it has."

"And last night, what was the terrible thing?"

"It's too awful to say."

"It was a dream, Ginny. You had no control over it."

She had turned away from him, and was sitting up, ready to leave the bed.

"I…he told me to go kill Narcissa, so that I could have what I clearly want. So I did, of course. I went to her room, and I took one of her pillows and…" She had begun to cry in earnest, something she rarely let anyone see. "I'm sorry, Lucius. It's so terrible, I'm sorry."

But of course he sat up too and reached around her from behind, just holding her until all the tears fell away. And then he rocked backwards, lying them both back down.

"It's just," she began, even as her eyes closed and she finally began to return to sleep, "before I realized, I used to think all the things I did at Hogwarts were dreams, too."

* * *

He watched her sleep for a while, until he was content that her breathing was deep and even, and then slowly extricated himself from the bed, hating every second. It was his duty to be with Narcissa, in fact he was already much later than he knew he should be, but Ginny seemed so much more _alive_ than she and not beyond help; he felt compelled to stay by her side, not wanting her to wake alone.

And indeed, Narcissa was asleep when he arrived back at the master bedroom, Andromeda by her side. The look Andromeda gave him as she glanced at the clock on the wall (half-past ten) was withering, but he merely motioned for her to leave. She left in a silent huff, very much wanting to slam the door but thinking better of it, and he took her empty seat, keeping watch over a woman who seemed to barely know him.

* * *

He went back to Ginny's room late in the afternoon, and was happy to find her sedate, wet hair hanging down her back. Her puffy eyes betrayed the morning's trauma, but overall she seemed much improved.

"Something to eat?" he asked, and she nodded, following him downstairs to a meal for just the two of them, laid out before the fire in his quiet study.

* * *

Andromeda joined them at breakfast the next morning, and Ginny, herself again and still hoping to rid them of the maddeningly persistent witch, asked where Teddy was while she was at the Manor.

"Thrilled to be staying with his Uncle Harry, I'm sure. They get up to all kinds of trouble together, don't they?"

An image flashed before Ginny's eyes – a photograph that used to hang in the apartment she and Harry had shared of Harry holding Teddy on a broomstick at waist height. The pair spun around and around in slow circles, laughing hysterically. Ginny blinked twice and tried to push the thought away.

"Yes, lots of trouble. I'm sure he's overjoyed to have a week of junk food and pranks and general bad behavior."

If Lucius noted tension in this exchange, he said nothing, merely continuing to lazily create designs in syrup across his French toast.

"Why don't the three of us do something fun today?" he suggested, looking up when he had finished his elaborate syrup swirls. The women looked back, stricken.

" _Fun_?" Andromeda asked incredulously. "Narcissa could be dead tomorrow, and you want us to go on some kind of lark?"

" _Together_?" Ginny asked, much more worried about the idea of spending the day with Andromeda's constant prodding.

"I think we're all suffering enough here, and I think that, if she could even understand the passage of time right now, she would want us to enjoy ourselves for a few hours."

"Well, I really can't go anywhere. Not anywhere someone would see the three of us together, that is," Ginny said, although she was already growing enamored with the idea of living a normal day in public with Lucius.

"I think you can," he said thoughtfully. He glanced at Andromeda who, by all appearances, hadn't softened. "I think that Andromeda and I were out to lunch and you happened upon us and she invited you to sit down and you and I shook hands and agreed to let things be in the past where they belong…"

Andromeda snorted, but he continued to lay plans without her.

"But no one need see us, anyway. You told them you were at the beach, didn't you? So we'll go some small Muggle beach town, far away from the prying eyes of Rita Skeeter and her ilk."

Ginny jumped up, chair scraping across the cobblestone terrace.

"Well let's go then!" she exclaimed. "I'll go get ready."

"No, we can't possibly. What of my sister? What if something happens while we're gone?" Andromeda looked around at them again, but this time her eyes belied that she did want to go, and was only asking them to put up a little bit more of a fight.

"If Harry and Teddy are getting into trouble then you should take your time off to get into some of your own," Ginny pressed. "But if you're so worried about it, just send Draco an owl and tell him to come spend the day with her. It's Saturday, isn't it? He'll be available." She neatly summoned a piece of parchment, a quill, and a bottle of ink, laying it all out before Lucius. "Come get me when you're ready."

And she was gone, running into the house in a whirlwind of red hair and citrus perfume.

Andromeda was looking at him, bemused expression playing across her features against her will.

"Well, are you going to come or not?" he asked, smoothing the parchment and beginning to unscrew the ink's lid. "Because if you are I really need to get this letter off straight away."

"You're spoiling her," Andromeda said, "just like you spoiled Narcissa all that time ago, when she was only young and you were all done with school, big and impressive."

"Ah, and she was impressed, wasn't she? I know she loved getting those big packages - or even better, the small ones - delivered to her every week in front of everybody in the Great Hall. But you're avoiding the question."

"If I don't come, it will be very difficult for you and Ginny to explain how you managed to find one another."

"Yes, but it will be a risk I'm willing to take. We're both marvelous liars."

"Why would you do such a thing for her? It could spoil your whole already wobbly reputation to be seen out with another woman, especially Harry Potter's ex."

"Ginevra's had a hard life, and especially a hard day yesterday, mostly because of things I could have changed many years ago. I'm only trying to remove the curse of being touched, however briefly, by Dark magic."

Lucius was deep into his note to Draco, already close to signing it. She watched him finish and seal it with his wand, and then he too pushed back his chair.

"I'm off to find the owl then, unless you have any objections."

"No," she decided, finally, "no objections."


	12. twelve

**I'm supposed to be studying for the GRE, so here's what I believe to be the longest chapter yet :))))**

* * *

"So when are you going to tell us what did it? What this terrible Dark object was?" Andromeda, distracted for about an hour by their arrival in the small beach town, had gone back to prying.

"Never, most likely."

"Why does the thing itself matter so much, when we already know?"

Ginny would never admit it to him, but she too has been dying to know what this terrible thing was, and there on the sunny boardwalk seemed like a good place to ask. No way for him to blow up, not in front of all those Muggles, and the atmosphere in the group had been convivial and calm.

"It just does. I don't want to spoil everything with all this talk."

All Lucius really wanted to do was put his arm around Ginny and kiss her, there in front of God and Andromeda and everyone, but he restrained himself. Occasionally, their hands would brush together or she would lay her hand on his arm and point to something, but overall, it was more like a family outing than anything else. They walked on, browsing the menus in the windows of each restaurant they passed. Eventually they settled on a place they all agreed to be a tourist trap; it had, by far, the best view of the ocean.

* * *

In the Muggle world, Lucius's long, pale hair drew questioning looks, especially as it sat on the head of someone who looked so otherwise well-to-do.

"Everyone is staring at you," Ginny giggled as their cocktails arrived.

"Doubtful," he said, taking a sip of his drink and grimacing slightly at that first sting of alcohol. "Not when you're here."

"Ok," said Andromeda, "let's all try to stop making sexual advances at one another."

"Andy, you really didn't have to come," Ginny fired back.

"I certainly did, unless you two want to be discovered in your affair."

"No one is going to see!"

"Let's all just calm down," Lucius said. "I thought we were meant to be having fun; we _were_ having fun earlier."

Andromeda didn't look like she was having a bit of fun, and Ginny's whole face was aflame with every comeback she was holding in.

"Drink up," Lucius said, raising his glass. "And then I think we'll all feel better."

Two hours later, working their way through their second bottle of wine and an elaborate spread of different flavored gelatos, everyone did feel much better. Lucius and Andromeda told stories of their time at Hogwarts to Ginny, who was in hysterics and didn't mind a bit when Narcissa's name came up. In fact, she found the tender look in his eye when he spoke of their first date or of their late nights studying to be somewhat reassuring. This was not a man with a cold heart.

When the check came, Lucius withdrew a wallet crammed full of Muggle money, and the women teamed up to have a laugh at his expense.

"Do you have any idea how much money that is?" Ginny, who had been taught about Muggle currency by Harry and Hermione, asked.

Lucius played at being hurt by their mockery.

"No. I just grabbed some from the safe in my study. But I trust it's more than enough to pay for the lunch of two freeloaders?"

"Give me," Ginny said, opening her hand for the wallet. She made a show of withdrawing a £50 note and tucking in her bra before she paid the bill, and both Lucius and Andromeda clapped as if they had just seen a complete burlesque show.

* * *

The trio agreed that the best way to return to the Manor would be to Apparate to Ginny's flat and then Floo to the Manor, so that Ginny could arrive directly into her bedroom, rather than outside the Manor gates, and not be seen by Draco. They walked slowly far, far down the beach, and then tucked themselves into an alley next to a closed bakery, grasping hands and vanishing.

Ginny's first thought when their feet hit the carpet, head spinning, was that she had really had far too much to drink. Her second thought was that her apartment had no business smelling so strongly of cinnamon and vanilla, and she opened her eyes to see Lucius and Andromeda staring into the kitchen.

"Hello," a quiet but apparently unalarmed voice said. "What are you all doing here?"

* * *

"Luna, I could really say the same of you," said Ginny, head still spinning. Her instinct was to throw Lucius behind her, as if she could hide a man who was about a foot taller than her.

"I'm making cookies," Luna said, as if this was the most normal thing in the world.

"Ok," Ginny said slowly, trying and failing to understand the situation. She turned to her companions, only aware that it was best if they left as quickly as possible. "Why don't you two go back to the…go back," she finished lamely as she gestured to the vase full of Floo powder. "I'll be along."

Lucius opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but thought better of it when Luna gave him a hard look which he doubted very few other people had ever been on the receiving end of. He swallowed hard and seemed to mutter something incomprehensible as he placed his hand on Andromeda's back. They stepped into the grate together, and were gone in a flash of green.

"You're going back to Malfoy Manor?" Luna asked, interested after hearing what the two shouted into the fire.

"It's very complicated."

Luna had not stopped mixing dough for a second, and her movement was making Ginny's head pound.

"Luna, if I'm not mistaken _your_ house has a kitchen too. With an oven and all."

"Yes, but I'm making these cookies for a party in the city and it's much easier than trying to travel with them. _You're_ not supposed to be here," she observed, eyebrows raised. "Not with Lucius Malfoy, particularly."

Ginny poured herself a glass of water and sat down at the breakfast bar, head in her hand. Never before had a hangover come on so quickly, and deciding whether or not to lie to her best friend was the last thing she wanted to think about. She thought of her welcoming bed at the Manor, and how nice it was to take long late afternoon naps there. Surely her enchanted medicine cabinet had already produced a potion just for this particular affliction…but it was best to suck it up and explain, rather than leave more confusion in her wake.

"You're my best friend, Luna. Better than anyone."

"That's very sweet, Ginny," Luna said, but her voice was tinged with a rare harsh edge.

"So I won't lie to you. I haven't been on vacation at all. Well, I sort of have. Just at Malfoy Manor rather than elsewhere."

"And you haven't been alone."

"No," Ginny acknowledged, "I've been with Lucius."

Luna continued shifting baking sheets around, pulling a fresh batch from the oven and immediately replacing it with the next one. She didn't say anything.

"So would you like to know why?" Ginny pressed. Normally Luna was so open to discussions of strange occurrences, but this seemed to have completely soured her.

"Do you know yourself?"

And that was Luna, too. Always more perceptive than anyone gave her credit for.

Ginny sat silently for a long while, only moving to refill her glass. Luna pushed a plate of cookies over to her, eventually, and Ginny ate them greedily despite the large meal she had had only a little while before.

"I know why you don't understand, Luna. I know you hate Lucius as much as you, most forgiving person alive, are capable of hating. But please, please, don't tell anyone."

Finally, finally, Luna drew her eyes up to meet Ginny's. They seemed to search her for a long time, as if hunting for any scrap of insincerity.

"I won't tell," she decided, handing Ginny yet another cookie.

"Thank you. Now what kind of party are all these cookies for, exactly? There must be at least 150."

"You really don't know?" Luna's eyes widened. "Ginny, today is Harry's birthday."

Ginny felt as if she had just been slammed to the ground after taking a Portkey. 25 years of being alive, and this was the first time she had ever not made note of Harry Potter's birthday. Even before her family became so wrapped up with him, it had been mentioned in the Daily Prophet every year as a little blurb, just to honor him. There had been many years after that when she celebrated with him, with glee and breakfast in bed and elaborate presents, but the past few years it had passed miserably. She would sulk in the corner of the party, always invited despite her attempts to push Harry farther and farther out of her life. And he would always look over wistfully at her, and she would always turn her head, creating a shield with her hair…

"He didn't invite you this year because we all thought you were away. Nearly killed him to throw your card away when we told him, too." Luna didn't look very sympathetic towards Ginny as she said this. "But I really think you should be going…not to kick you out of your own home, but Rolf is going to be picking me up any minute, and I still need to pack up all these cookies."

Ginny rose to her feet and walked around the counter to Luna, holding her arms out. Luna hugged her, and thankfully, it felt as warm and understanding as always.

"Be good," Luna said. "Just please trust yourself, and I think everything will come out right."

* * *

 **What are the #reviews?**


	13. thirteen

Ginny crashed onto the hearth in her room to find Lucius sitting in his usual armchair. She pulled herself, with great reluctance, up to her feet, but before she could open her mouth he pressed a single finger to his lips, shushing her. Indeed, an iridescent bottle labeled "Hangover Helper" sat on the table before him.

"Drinking in the day is always such a mistake," he said in a low voice. "Especially with so much travel afterwards."

"And in the sun," she croaked as she went to him. He opened his arms, making room for her on his lap. It was easy for her to curl up there, and she pressed her cheek into his shoulder, the linen of his beach shirt cool and scratchy. The room was blissfully quiet and still, and the light was dimmed by the sheer curtains, which he must have pulled.

"Here," he said as he reached around her to grab the bottle. "Screw the spoon, just take a big drink."

Ginny took a swig from the open bottle, and effervescent liquid streamed down her throat. She felt a little better, but knew from experience it would take a while to truly kick in.

"It's the 31st," she murmured, and he nodded assent.

"I know. But why worry about it?"

"You knew."

"Knew it was the 31st? Certainly."

"No. That it's Harry's birthday."

"Of course I knew. You don't think I run off to the beach on just any old day of the week, do you?"

She smiled, and although his eyes were closed he could feel the change in the pressure on his body.

"You were trying to distract me."

"Mmm."

It was so warm there, pressed against one another, feeling the movement of the other's chests as the potion began to work and breathing became easier. Spending a day in the sun at the beach was one thing; this was entirely another. But good things end, don't they? He shifted forward, squeezing her very tight for a brief moment. The blood in her veins flowed faster, and she wondered if he could feel the change.

"Narcissa…" He cleared his throat. "She was a little better when we got back."

Ginny's mind spun, and for a moment, hating herself, she had a traitorous thought: _what if she lives?_

"She knows I can't catch anything from her now. She wants me to sleep with her again – in our bed, I mean."

Lucius took one look at her and began to backtrack, panicking at the thought of hurting her.

"But that doesn't really mean anything, Ginny, you know it doesn't. Tomorrow she may be worse, tomorrow she may be…"

"Dead," Ginny filled in.

"Maybe, or maybe just back to the same. Don't trouble yourself."

"It's troubling, Lucius."

"You know you're all I care about."

"First of all, no I don't. Second of all, I shouldn't be."

He gave her a long look, arms still around her, and despite all the confusion, she took quiet delight in the streak of sunburn across his pale nose. He was becoming so much more human to her than ever before.

"I need to get up," he said under his breath, and she stood. He kissed her on the forehead.

"Until tomorrow," he said, leaving her behind.

* * *

Lucius had troubled himself with all that talk. In the moment, with the last vestiges of alcohol clinging to him, it had been the truth, and the simplest thing to do with the truth is speak it. But of course that causes problems, it always does. And there was a second truth too, the truth that the hint of improvement from Narcissa had made his heart lift, and that he thought, fleetingly, of everything returning to normal.

Ginny was terrified. After Lucius left she just laid down on the floor, letting the cool wood soothe her. Dusk was settling outside, and she watched the changing light shift across the planks. All he cared about? If that was true, why wasn't he there?

* * *

Easing into bed next to Narcissa, he felt the security that came from all those years of closeness. She sighed and moved closer to him, and for a moment, he forgot about everything. It could be 15 years ago, when they were happy and the world was at peace and Draco was young and sweet.

* * *

Ginny cocooned herself in the comforter, trying every trick in the book to fall asleep. Finally, deep breathing got her there, and she was lost in a dream.

Tom was there, he was always there. And they were standing in her flat with Luna, who was stacking pies up to the ceiling, constantly pulling them from the oven with her bare hands. Tom took Ginny's hand and moved her to the sofa, and they sat as if on an awkward first date.

"You thought he could help you?" he asked.

"He knows you better than anyone."

"Oh no he doesn't. That's you. You know me best of all; maybe it's time to accept it."

Ginny turned her head back to the kitchen, desperately wanting Luna to save her. But Luna didn't look at them, as if she had no idea that they were there at all.

"So what am I supposed to do?"

"Don't trust men like me to help you, Ginny. Don't you know that by now?"

* * *

Lucius had never lost control of himself like this before. Even throughout the wars, through the years when he was lying to everyone about his allegiances, and through the time when he told his wife and son that he had changed, he had always kept everything privately calculated to get the exact results he hoped for. Emotions had never ruled him, and never before had they controlled his actions so closely.

So now, he realized as he lay there next to Narcissa, stroking her hair in the morning light, it was time to wreck it all; that was the only bit of control he had left.

* * *

Ginny was still in her cocoon when he came, thrashing as she flitted in and out of sleep. He sat down next to her, and felt his heart jump into his throat seeing her so obviously distressed from another dream.

"Wake up, Ginevra," he said, "I want to show you something."

She stirred and sat up on her elbows, looking at him in a daze.

"I had another dream," she croaked through dry lips.

"I can see that."

"What is it?" She looked to the box he was holding, which was made of fine wood and sealed with a massive lock. Strange energy seemed to be coming from it.

"You have to promise me one thing, can you?"

"What is it?"

"You have to promise first. There's no way I'll open this box unless you agree to this."

All she wanted to do was sit in the shower for about an hour, and then get back in bed. This box held no interest to her.

"Fine, I promise."

"Good. The condition is this: do not touch what is in this box. Do you hear me? Don't touch it."

Then she understood, and her pulse spiked.

"This is what Narcissa touched."

"Yes."

"Show me."

He tapped the box with his wand, and the lock fell away. Ginny sat up straighter, now wide awake and past her dream, and with a deep breath he lifted the lid.

She saw what it was and first she gasped, hands flying to her mouth. Then, as he had predicted, one hand drew away and moved to the object, desperate for just one touch….


	14. fourteen

**Have you guys seen that tumblr post that says "i have been having. a Weird fucking time"? I find that to be very relatable right now, hence the long (for me) update time...I think I'm overcoming some writer's block I had with this story though, so fingers crossed! love y'all, xoxo**

* * *

Luckily he was faster, and jumped back off the bed, slamming the lid of the box shut.

"That's the diary," she whispered, scrambling out from under the covers and pressing herself against the headboard. "You've had it the whole time."

"Yes. I took it back after it was destroyed as a Horocrux, and much later Voldemort asked after it. In his rage, he laid a heavy curse on it, and gave it back to me. As punishment."

"But now you could have gotten rid of it. You were meant to get rid of it, when the Ministry came."

"I already told you I couldn't make myself. I'm sure he knew I was weak enough to always keep it, even when he was gone. Something is wrong with me."

"Yes, it is." Ginny was out of the bed now, frantically searching for the clothes she had worn to the Manor.

"You're upset."

"I'm leaving."

He thought about fighting for her, he really did, but this way was cleaner for them both. He watched the flames in the hearth burn green, and watched her spin away.

* * *

At home, she crawled into bed, which was cool from a week of disuse. The blankets lay heavy upon her, and as she closed her burning eyes, she couldn't imagine what would happen next.

Ginny slept until it was dark outside, only waking when a car alarm went off on the street below. She was alone, just like she had been a week before, and if anything she felt worse. Starving, she managed to crawl out of bed and to the kitchen, where she stared into an empty refrigerator. She considered going back to sleep, but knew that her hunger really was too big to ignore. Back in her bedroom, she looked in the mirror, smoothing down the clothes she had slept in. They were good enough to go downstairs to the café she lived above, where she was a regular and the waitstaff had seen her looking every which-way. She pulled her hair up and splashed some water on her face, and then rummaged through her drawers for Muggle money. Cursing when she couldn't find any, she began to wonder what sort of dinner she could make out of crackers and a tablespoon of orange marmalade. As she reached up into the cupboard, groping about for some canned beans she could have sworn she had, she felt something in her bra and recoiled, thinking it was a bug. But then she grabbed at it, and found the £50 note she had hidden there what felt like 100 years before.

 _Disgusting,_ she thought, horrified that she hadn't changed underwear in so long. But then she considered all the food she could buy with £50, forgot her disgust, and rushed out the door without another thought.

The café wasn't very fancy, but it was open late, and there was a table by the big front window where she liked to sit and watch people go by. 15 minutes later she was all settled in with a big roast beef sandwich and a bowl of soup, which took her no time at all to finish.

"Anything else?" her regular waitress asked with a kind smile. She could clearly see that Ginny was having a rough time of it.

"Um, do you have some of that really luxe chocolate cake? And maybe a cup of tea?" The waitress nodded and gave another smile. She was gone only for a moment, returning with a larger than average piece of cake. Ginny eyed it, knowing exactly why it was so big.

"Do I look that bad?" she asked, laughing a little.

"No!" the waitress said, too emphatically. "That was just all we had left and it's getting late, so I figured you might as well finish it off."

"Well, thank you. That's very nice."

"Just doing my job."

Digging in, Ginny felt a little better.

* * *

As she sat and tried to make the last sips of tea last as long as possible, Ginny began to notice someone hovering outside the café. He walked back and forth slowly a few times, and then stopped to pretend and read the menu in the window. Her eyes followed him the whole time, even though he was pretending not to see her. Finally, losing patience, Ginny rapped on the glass and made eye contact with him.

"Either come in, or get lost," she said, knowing he would be able to read her lips through the glass. Looking as though he was resigned to accept the Kiss of Death, Draco Malfoy pushed the door open and walked to her table.

"Sit down then," she said, completely beyond the point of caring that he was apparently stalking her. "Just passing by?"

"I've seen you here before," he said, beckoning the waitress, who looked at him as if he were the scum of the earth. She clearly thought he was the one who had caused Ginny's strife, and she was snappish as she took his order for tea.

"What do you want to say, then?" Ginny asked.

He took a deep breath and cast his eyes around, looking at all the Muggles, particularly a large group of college aged students who were clearly meant to be studying but had abandoned their books almost completely as they laughed and teased one another.

"Nice place," he commented. "Not stuffy like some of the Muggle restaurants I've been too."

"That wasn't the question, Draco."

The waitress came by and slammed his tea down, sloshing a little down the sides.

"Thanks," he said, loaded with sarcasm. She left again, and he mopped the table up with a napkin. "She's not too keen on me, though."

"She thinks you're the reason I'm here alone in days old clothes with massive bags under my eyes."

"Ah. Close enough, I suppose."

"How do you mean?"

"Do you think I'm stupid? I know who's the reason you're here alone in days old clothes with massive bags under your eyes."

"Do you?" Her heart rate quickened.

He smirked, even though his eyes betrayed hurt.

"You need to be more careful which windows you hang out of, Weasley."

Her mind flashed back to catching Nargles, and she closed her eyes and sunk lower in her chair.

"I didn't know you were there that day. And I didn't know anyone would be on that side of the house, there's nothing over there but the hedge maze," she groaned.

"He probably didn't want to tell you about me. He hates to talk about me now. And unluckily for both of us, I was deep in the maze that day, getting some fresh air."

"What a mess," she sighed, suddenly realizing just how much pain Draco must be in. Until then, she had tried to forget he even existed, afraid of how she would feel for being with a classmate's father. "But how did you know I had gone?"

"He had been unusually happy for a while, and when I saw you I knew why. But today when I went over he was just as depressed as always, so I asked Andromeda and she told me she didn't know what had happened but that you had scarpered. And now I can tell looking at you that it was his fault somehow."

"You're right about that."

"So what happened?"

"Why don't you leave me alone?"

"Can't."

"You really want to know the sordid details of me screwing your father?" She used the word "screwing" to hopefully shock him and maybe make him leave.

"Yes."

She looked at him, and it became clear from the set expression on his face that he was feeling just as callous and reckless as she. They were two badly broken people with very little to lose.

"Fine. He showed me the diary. That whole time I had been there, I had been so open and trusting with him thinking that I was going to finally get over what Tom did to me, and then he pulled that out."

Draco crossed his arms over his chest and nodded slowly several times, looking out the window this time.

"He's a miserable, weak old man, deep down. But he can still turn the charm on," he said.

"Clearly." Ginny was scraping her plate meticulously with her fork, bound and determined to not miss even one speck of icing.

"So what are you going to do about it?"

"Do?"

"You can get back at him now. You have all the ammunition you need to have him arrested."

"Is that why you're here? To convince me not to tell?"

"Quite the opposite. I think you should."


	15. fifteen

**The H key on my keyboard isn't working very well, so if I've missed any critical letters tat may be wy... :) Thank you for some very kind reviews over the past few chapters!**

* * *

Waking up next to Narcissa, Lucius smiled. Her face was slightly flushed, no longer in intense pallor, and as he stirred she did too, showing a return to life. She opened her eyes and smiled back at him, and in that moment it was almost as if he didn't see flashes of copper when he blinked.

"I've missed you," she said, closing her hand around his wrist.

"I've been here," he replied, leaning to kiss her.

"But I haven't, not really."

"Then I'm glad to see you."

Lucius laid back on his side of the bed, but her hand tightened again.

"More," she whispered, and he felt like they were 17 again.

* * *

Ginny told Draco to come to her apartment the next day when she could think more clearly. They left the café with a friendly if not somewhat awkward handshake, and she went upstairs to fall into sound, satiated sleep.

Morning hit her hard, but not quite so hard as the day before. She was able to get up and throw the windows open, and eat a scone she had had the good sense to buy the night before. Then she wrote off a few letters, letting people she was back in town, including one to the office saying she would cut her vacation short and return the next day. By the time Draco was due to arrive, she was showered and fresh, and she almost believed that she was better off with this whole turn of events.

Draco came banging on the door with his arms full of groceries; she had agreed to see him on the condition that he replenished her pantry.

"I think the groceries were overkill," he grumbled, although she noticed he began to put them up straight away without being asked, and he seemed to know instinctively where everything went.

"Maybe," she said, sipping tea and delighting in his domesticity, "but it's quite a big thing you're asking of me."

He had no response to that, and she moved to the living room while he finished his task. When he came to join her minutes later, her heart lurched to see him carrying the box which contained the diary.

"How'd you get your hands on it?" she asked, trying her best to be nonchalant.

"Went over this morning to check up on Mother, and just summoned it when his back was turned. Too easy, really. If he thinks it's secure, he's wrong."

"And how is _Mother_?" Ginny hated the sarcasm that edged her voice, but could do nothing to stop it.

"It seems that she truly might be getting better. She even ate with us downstairs. But you don't want to talk about her."

He was right, of course, but she said nothing in response.

"So what exactly shall I say to him?" she asked instead, eyeing the box.

"Whatever you need to get someone looking into the case, really. I don't believe him for a second that he's exhausted every possible resource for finding a countercurse. With the Ministry involved, I think we can cure her." Draco slid the box across the coffee table towards her, and she shuffled back in her seat, just a little. His eyebrows went up.

"Are you going to be able to do this?" he asked.

"Are you calling me weak?" she shot back, suddenly brave enough to reach out and snatch the box fully into her lap.

"Wouldn't dare," he said, and looking at him, she could tell he meant it.

* * *

In the morning, Ginny organized her work bag around the diary in its box, which meant it was crammed almost to bursting. As she stared down into the odd arrangement all the quills and files had taken, she considered for a moment if Lucius would take her back into his safe, sheltered world. Facing the office seemed impossibly frightening, full of people who would ask after her vacation, wanting details she didn't have. But her eyes focused on the polished wood, and tossing the misshapen tote over her shoulder, she found the strength to step into the fireplace.

At work, she told everyone she had been in the south of France, but that she had gotten bored with relaxing and decided to save some vacation days for another time. People swallowed this story easily, and she was able to relax into a familiar rhythm as the day moved towards lunch. And then, at 11:50, she took a deep breath and pulled the box from her bag. It was heavy in her arms as she wound through the Auror office's cluttered halls, and she had to shift it onto her hip to knock on the door when she arrived at his office.

"Come in," Harry called, and she could already hear the distraction in his voice.

* * *

He was standing when she came in, clearly looking for something on a desk overrun with parchment. He glanced up through his glasses and a shock of hair, and froze when his eyes met hers.

"Gin," he muttered, suddenly losing the confident air of a busy Head Auror. He scrambled around the desk, just missing a tipping over a box of what looked like household junk. Ginny knew better, it was most likely his "filing system" for random objects he found during raids.

 _I could just tip this in there,_ she thought as he cleared a chair for her, _and tell him good luck._

"You should keep these things neater," she said as she sat in the offered place. "Some of them are quiet dangerous, aren't they?"

"All the really bad stuff is downstairs," he said, scurrying back to his side of the desk and trying desperately to fix his hair. He almost wished Aunt Petunia were there to do it for him; she was the only person who had ever had any success with such an endeavor, not matter how briefly the results lasted. "In the Department of Mysteries."

"Right." It was awkward and silent between them, and Ginny was losing herself in thought about the Department of Mysteries, and encountering Lucius there, all that time ago…

Somewhere, a muffled alarm began to ring. Harry cursed and threw open a desk drawer, pulling out an old fashioned alarm clock and silencing it.

"Ron did that, thought it would be hysterical to remind me of lunch every day. Only problem is that neither of us can undo it to save our lives, and we don't want Hermione to tease us if we ask for help."

"Wait, is it a spell?"

He blushed, looking sheepish.

"No, just the regular Muggle alarm. Silly, really."

She smiled. He was right, but it was sweet to picture the two of them puzzling over something so simple. Not that she had any idea what to do with it either.

"Well, if it's lunchtime, I guess we may as well have the discussion I came here for over lunch," she said, leaning out to put the box on his desk. "But you had better lock that in a drawer."

"Really?" A slow smile spread across his face, and she felt momentary guilt for manipulating him. But it would make him happy to go to lunch with her; to be seen, even just in the halls of the Ministry, with her, and she did want him to be happy.

"Really, truly."


	16. sixteen

They walked out of the Ministry together, going down the street to a diner a lot of wizards who were more comfortable with Muggles patronized. The staff had long since grown immune to their odd patrons, taking little notice of their brightly colored suits and pretending not to overhear what they thought was gibberish.

"Our type should really stop coming here," Harry said as they slid into a booth. Just walking in, they had already come across three tables of other wizards, and Harry had to raise an eyebrow at one man who was openly stacking Sickles into little towers around his plate of meatloaf. "We're all going to get found out with idiots like Aubrey hanging out here."

"Not with idiots like Aubrey Confunding the Muggles every day," Ginny said, pointing back over Harry's shoulder to where the man had his hand in the inner pocket of his jacket, muttering under his breath. Harry turned to look and then shook his head, trying not to smile.

"I should stop him."

"You should."

"I'm not going to."

"I know."

They ordered from a waitress who seemed quite glad to be speaking to two people who didn't jump when the telephone behind the counter rang, and while they waited for their food they talked about his birthday party, which she apologized for missing, and about Hermione, who was almost ready to give birth to her and Ron's first child, and seemed to be realizing, to her horror, that no amount of reading might prepare her completely for such an event.

"I left her with Teddy for about two hours the other day, and when I returned he was ecstatically bouncing off the walls and she was almost in tears. She told me he wouldn't stop fussing with old Crookshanks and she was terrified he would eventually pounce and tear Teddy to bits."

"Crookshanks just lays there anymore. He wouldn't have the energy to hurt anyone."

"That's what I told her while engaged in what felt like the world's longest hug."

Ginny laughed imaging the scene, with Teddy clutching at a limp Crookshanks as Hermione wept into Harry's shirt, and when she looked back to Harry, she found him gazing at her with a look she recognized; the look he gave across crowded rooms after they had broken up. She sobered up quickly as the waitress set down their plates, remembering her mission, and as she focused down on her meal, Harry cleared his throat, clearly coming back to himself as well.

"The box I brought to your office," she began, using a tone reserved for work, "was brought to me by Draco Malfoy, in hopes that I would be able to help him."

"Malfoy?" Harry asked. "He approached you for help?"

"Well, he needed to get to you, and I guess he figured this was the best way." Ginny was trying to distance herself as much as possible from the narrative. "You two aren't exactly bosom friends, are you? Even after all this time."

Harry murmured agreement, and she went on.

"You must know his mother is very sick, and apparently it was caused by a curse left on this artifact. His father never told anyone about it, instead letting everyone believe it was a mystery illness. But Draco wants answers. He wants help from the Ministry."

"So Draco isn't so fond of Father anymore, is he? Guess Lucius really doesn't have a friend left."

Ginny made a little noncommittal noise to that, desperate to turn the conversation away from Lucius's personal life.

"He wants his mother back," she said firmly. "I don't know his feelings other than that."

"Could be tricky," Harry said, staring into space and absentmindedly picking up the lettuce leaf garnish on his plate to chew on. "We'd definitely have to bring old Lucius in for more inquiries, and you know as well as I that we had promised to clear him for good the last time he was in. And curses, that's touchy stuff these days. No one wants to admit anything is cursed anymore."

"Which is stupid," Ginny interrupted.

"I know how you feel, Gin, and you know I and most of our friends agree with you. But not everyone has been so personally affected by that kind of thing."

"Funny you should mention personal effects. The artifact in question is in fact Tom Riddle's diary, cursed by Voldemort himself however many years ago."

Harry's face drained of color, and Ginny wanted to snap at him over it. Everyone was still so touchy about the whole diary incident, but none of them could address it head first. And where had this fear left her, and Narcissa?

"Merlin, Ginny. And Malfoy asked _you_ to bring it in? What the hell is wrong with him?"

"I think he was right to," she countered, starting to fish in her wallet for money to pay. "Because I may be the only one who takes it seriously, and I want it done with. So I'll thank you to get started on the case, and maybe we can help Narcissa Malfoy live as long as she deserves. I know you're fond of her, and she's Teddy's great-aunt for God's sakes. So just do what's right."

Her speech and apparent motion to leave subdued him, and he reached out to snatch the bill away from her.

"You're right," he said hastily. "You're absolutely right. I'll do everything I can. And we'll destroy the diary as soon as we're done looking over it."

"Good," she sniffed, still haughty but making no protest over him paying. "Thank you. You should send a note to Draco, and tell him you've agreed. He'll want to tell you everything he knows about it. And whatever you do, don't touch the diary. Don't even let anyone open the box until you've been very clear with them about that."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, and she softened a bit.

"Let's go back to the office, then" she said, and they walked out together, drawing stares from people who thought they would never see the pair together again.

* * *

Halfway back to the Ministry, Harry stopped dead in his tracks.

"I've forgotten Teddy," he said, a look of horror crossing his face.

"What do you mean _forgotten_ him?" Ginny asked, starting to be aware of the time. Her lunch break would soon be over. "We never _had_ him."

"No, at school I mean. He goes in the morning and then I pick him up at lunchtime and pawn him off on someone else until work's done."

"Well go get him then."

"Will you come?" he was pleading, eyes alight with the hope of a whole day spent together. "Andromeda's back today, and I'm taking him home. They'd both love to see you."

Ginny nearly slipped and told him that she'd just seen Andromeda a few days ago, but shut her mouth quickly as she took another step back towards the Ministry.

"I shouldn't skive off, Harry. I've missed so much the past little while."

But he wasn't going to take no for answer.

"You're such a goody two-shoes these days," he said, and to her horror he grabbed her hand. "But let me tell you a secret: you and I don't have to do anything we don't want. Not where the Ministry is concerned."

"What a bratty thing to say," she replied, even as her hand began to relax in his. She thought longingly of Teddy's sweet chatter, and how nice it was to walk around with him and see the world a different way. Harry was pulling her back down the street, away from work and her desk and all the many different things that needed filing.

"You know I wouldn't normally play the system this way," he said. "But I don't think it would kill us to have some fun."

A thought crossed her mind; she could picture herself in Andromeda's neat little kitchen, having a cold drink as she learned what had happened at the Manor once she had gone.

 _Lucius is lost without you, beating himself up terribly. Even Narcissa's begun to notice. He wishes he had done it all differently..._ she imagined Andromeda whispering as Harry played with Teddy, and that hateful little creature inside of her raised its head with hope.

It was appealing, and certainly worth the journey.

"No," she said, following him more readily. "I suppose it wouldn't kill us."

* * *

 **I know some people may be worried about lack of Lucius, but you can trust _me_ of all people not to leave him alone (or away from Ginny) for too long. Promise. But if you're absolutely _starved_ for our most fickle friend, you should definitely check out all of my other works, particularly _Shifting_ which is a nice oneshot I posted recently, or _Cosmic Love,_ which is my personal favorite of all!**

 **And yes, I named the random wizard breaking the International Statute of Secrecy after Drake.**


	17. seventeen

Teddy's "school" was really more of a place for parents to drop their children who were too young for Hogwarts but were already exhibiting very strong magical tendencies, and who therefore couldn't go to Muggle schools or be looked after by their overwhelmed parents. Of course they had little lessons and would read all together and that sort of thing, but there were always quite a lot of fires, literal and figurative, for their teachers to put out throughout the day, and by pickup time Harry usual waded into a sea of rowdy, knee height children who were setting off explosions and knocking down shelves that were 2 feet above their reach.

"Don't they ever get tired?" Ginny wondered as the pair pushed open the door and her head immediately began to spin. Before Harry could answer, she was brought down to her knees by a great force that seemed to come out of nowhere.

"Ginny!" Teddy cried out, wrapping his arms around her. "Where have you been?"

"Hello darling," she cooed, pushing back his hair. "I've been having adventures. But I've missed you."

"What kind of adventures?" he clamored. Over his head, Ginny could see Harry accepting Teddy's backpack and a sheath of drawings from a very tired looking witch who immediately rushed away to separate two children, younger than Teddy, who seemed to have glued themselves together at the hands.

"Maybe I'll tell you later," she said, rising and offering the boy her hand. "For now, let's take you home."

The trio Flooed back to Andromeda's house, Harry going first, followed by Teddy, who Ginny watched go with a worried eye. Sending children through the Floo always reminded her terribly of Harry's first try gone wrong, although Teddy had grown up with the system and had never stuttered once. Finally, she took a moment to compose herself as well as she could in the busy little playroom, and stepped into the fire after them.

At Andromeda's, the quiet was nearly overwhelming, although Teddy seemed to be making short work of that problem. Andy was sorting through his pictures on the kitchen counter while fondly holding him close to her, hand on his head, and Harry seemed to be trying to make sense of the jumble inside the tiny backpack. It was a sweet domestic scene, and Ginny regretted interrupting it for her selfish means.

"Hello," she peeped, making her way into the fray, and Andromeda's head snapped up. Of course she wasn't shocked to see Ginny; Harry had told her she would be coming, but the smallest flicker of some kind of pain, or longing, crossed her face.

"Hello, Ginny," she said, in a benignly pleasant kind of way. Harry, ever oblivious, noticed nothing between them. "It's really been too long."

"I know! I was just thinking of you the other day. And how is your sister faring?"

That drew a sharp look from Andromeda, and a tense smile graced Ginny's lips.

"Much better, thank you. Almost like a miracle."

"Well, I'm sure her boys must be happy."

"Draco certainly is."

The exception of Lucius's name made Ginny's heart swell, and she wanted very badly for the boys to leave the room.

"Grandma, Ginny told me she's been having adventures!" Teddy piped up, and Ginny cursed her choice of words. He would surely cling to them until he got a real story from her.

"Teddy, what is this?" Harry asked, finally withdrawing from the backpack to place a large ball made up of several different kinds of tangled string on the countertop.

Distracted, Teddy told Harry that it was a ball he had made all by himself, and he dragged the man out into the yard to show him the special game that went along with it. Harry let himself be taken, although he did mouth "Adventures?" over his shoulder at Ginny as they went.

"Adventures, hm?" Andromeda said as the patio door slammed.

"You couldn't imagine them, Andy. Not in your wildest dreams."

"You shouldn't string Harry along." Her tone was sharp; clearly Ginny's arrival in her home wasn't as welcome as she had pretended.

"I'm not trying to. I just needed to talk to you."

"About?"

Ginny was silent, biting her tongue. It hurt to say his name, or to admit that even after his betrayal, she still cared.

"Lucius," she whispered, so low that if Andy hadn't already known the answer, she wouldn't have understood.

"Oh, Lucius. Well, he seems to be quite content with helping Narcissa along."

Ginny, unsure of how to continue her line of questioning, balked.

"But you want me to tell you if he misses you. What he said about it all," Andromeda continued. Ginny nodded, staring at the pile of construction paper art.

"All he told me was that you had left. I still haven't any idea why, and I certainly don't know how he feels about it. You know he and I aren't bosom friends, and he aggressively avoided the topic whenever we were alone. So I hope you're glad to have gotten Harry all mixed up with you again just to come get one meaningless piece of information out of me."

Ginny was silent still, cursing herself for the exact reasons Andromeda outlined. Now she had gone down a rabbit hole of familiarity and family visits with Harry, and she had completely alienated Lucius to find a cure for a woman who was apparently in no need of one. She glanced up to see Harry and Teddy making their way back inside, and tried to put a glad face back on.

* * *

Having enjoyed several days of nearly normal life together, Lucius and Narcissa were sitting on the couch in his study, quietly reading the same book. She was a little slower than him, still sick despite her improvements, and he let her turn the pages. Occasionally he would whisper something sweet into her ear, and she would wriggle a bit closer. She had no idea that anything could be wrong outside their little nest, and he intended for it to always be that way, once she had made a full recovery.

After 15 minutes more, he felt her grow suddenly heavier, and soon she was no longer turning pages. It really didn't occur to him that it was strange for her to nod off so soon after waking up in the morning, and he simply enjoyed her presence and the deep, even breathing that had become so uncommon for her. As he began to be lulled into sleep himself, a heavy knock came on the front door, ringing throughout the whole house. He stirred awake and shifted Narcissa so he could stand, although he was in no hurry, sure that an elf would answer the door quickly. Indeed, moments later, as he was stretching and making sure Narcissa, still in deep sleep, was laid out comfortably, he heard the door creak open. A squeaky voice was met by two loud, thundering ones, and he could distinctly hear them say, even from such a distance, the words "Mr. Malfoy" and " _Now_ ". Fear turned suddenly inside him as he was reminded of other days, 10 and 25 years ago, when the Ministry had come calling. Lucius lurched from his place on the couch and then, cursing his stupidity, threw open his middle desk drawer. Inside was an assortment of ink and quills and little notepads, all arranged around an empty space exactly the size of the diary's box. As booted feet thundered upstairs, he went back to Narcissa, who stirred only slightly when he kissed her goodbye.

* * *

The next day, Draco went to visit his father in his cell in the Department of Mysteries. Not being a dangerous criminal, and not yet being convicted of any crimes, he was allowed to stay in slightly more comfortable quarters than Azkaban. Draco found him sitting very properly on his cot, somehow having managed to make the clothes he had come in presentable for a new day. A guard opened the door and locked it behind Draco, and then moved into a shadowy corner nearby, mostly out of sight to the Malfoys but well within earshot. The men looked at one another steadily; it wasn't the first time they had been in a situation like this.

"You're looking well. Considering," Draco said.

"I'm accustomed to it by now. I know how to get myself through the night."

"Yes, of course."

Silence. Draco wished he had his wand to fiddle with.

"Why did you do this, Draco? Why would you turn in your own father? Didn't we always teach it's family first?"

"What else could I do? I think we can save Mother. Family first." Draco was beginning to feel like a child again, reprimanded by a father who wanted the best but couldn't see past his own ideals.

"You don't think I did all that I could? That I was just leaving her to die?"

Draco looked down at his shoes, and in the quiet he could hear the guard cough. He hoped his hair was hiding his face from his father; his resolve and hard exterior were weakening.

"I don't know what you would call it," he began, eyes still down, voice choked, "maybe not "leaving her to die", but if you really cared so much for Mum, and if you truly wanted to see her get better, you wouldn't have let Ginny Weasley come and live in her house as she began to stand on her last legs."

The guard coughed again, and Lucius, also beyond a cool exterior, rocketed from his chair and snapped at him to be quiet, and stop eavesdropping.

"I'm sorry, sir," the man said, "but you have to understand it's my job."

"Of course," Lucius said, breathing heavily as his head cleared. Draco's hands were now clenched tightly together, and his back was shaking as if he might be crying. Lucius looked away from his son, and back out into the dim hall. "I apologize."

* * *

 **Hope you guys are still enjoying it! This isn't my favorite chapter ever, but the plot must go on.**

 **By the by, if you want to keep up with my daily existential crises, you can follow me on Tumblr at felicityfelix :)))** **I'd love to get to know some of y'all!**


	18. eighteen

**Two updates in two days? Yes, it's true. I felt bad for leaving the last chapter without Ginny and Lucius seeing one another again! Enjoy**

* * *

"It's really up to his wife whether or not she wants to press charges."

"But he technically violated his parole. And they say she's in no state to leave the house, much less press charges."

"We don't have evidence that he knew he had it."

"Won't anyone testify against him?"

"No one."

Ginny was growing very weary of hearing this kind of talk around the office. It had only been a few days since the Auror office had fully delved into Lucius's case, but the high profile name associated with it got everyone excited. Maybe, they all thought, this was their chance to finally catch Lucius Malfoy red handed.

But that didn't seem to be the case at all. Lucius, as always, was talking his way around the whole thing spectacularly well, claiming that he thought the Ministry had taken the diary the first time around, and that he hadn't seen it until Narcissa dug it up. After that, he said, he was only scared for his freedom, and made the "ill-advised" choice to keep the whole thing secret.

"Nobody knew anything about it but me," he told the court, conveniently leaving out that Draco had been there when Narcissa touched it, and that Ginny had ever been in his house at all. "But I really don't think you want to punish me for something as trivial as this. Not with the wing I've donated to St. Mungo's almost completely finished…"

And so, begrudgingly, Lucius was released to house arrest, as he had pleaded with the court that he couldn't possibly leave Narcissa alone in her state. Meanwhile, the diary had been taken to Hogwarts and placed under very heavy protection while the professors, always smarter and more proactive than the Ministry in matters of Dark Magic, tried to solve its mysteries.

* * *

Ginny was beginning to feel normal again, coincidentally at the same time that she began to remember why she and Harry had been together for all those years. Yes, he had been dismissive of her problems, and maybe it had all been a little too taken for granted that the two of them would end up together, but maybe, she thought, everyone had always assumed that for a reason. How could she deign to want anything more than him?

They were together all the time, and only a few days after her return they had gone to dinner, later finding themselves back at Grimmauld Place. As he kissed her and began to undo the buttons on her dress, she pushed away the remembrance of someone who was much more confident in the same actions.

In the morning, she woke first and began to consider what they would do all day before they were expected at the Burrow for Sunday dinner. Then Harry's eyes fluttered open too, and she instinctively leaned to the bedside table to get his glasses for him. He took them from her in a fluid motion; although it had been a while, they clearly both remembered the routine. He went to the bathroom and came back dressed in shorts, holding something small in his hand.

"I've been thinking, Ginny," he said, propping up on his arms as she cuddled to his side. "We can go back to how it was before. Before we fought. I want that for us." He took the little box and showed it to her, and she recognized it straightaway. The engagement ring she had given back to him.

In that moment, there seemed to be nothing else to say.

"Yeah, me too."

It really sounded sincere.

* * *

They went to the Burrow together, greeted first by shock and then by overwhelming joy as every Weasley stopped to admire the ring on Ginny's finger as if they had never seen it before.

"I knew you would come around to him, darling," her mother said in hushed tones as they found a moment of peace together in the kitchen. Outside, people were gathered around Hermione, who was sitting in a massive stuffed chair with Ron on the arm. She was glowing but looked irritable, and had confided in Ginny earlier in the evening that she was ready to punch George over taking bets from everyone on when the baby would finally come.

"Yeah, Mum. I made a mistake." Ginny was tired of her mother constantly rubbing this in.

"It's all over now," Molly said, pushing a strand of hair behind her daughter's ear and then, unable to hold back, engulfing her in a hug.

As people began to Apparate away after dinner, Ginny helped Hermione upstairs to Ron's old room, which had been outfitted with a bigger bed so they could stay there for a bit after the baby was born. Even Hermione could quash her pride to admit that Molly would be an immense help in such a stressful time.

"Are you happy, Gin?" Hermione asked as she reclined against the headboard. "Because I know you were struggling before. With Harry."

Ginny was leaning on the window frame, watching Harry and Ron chat in the garden, silhouetted by the setting sun. Ron was clapping Harry on the back, and she could only imagine the words of congratulation spilling out.

"We had some problems, Hermione, but doesn't everyone?" She looked back to her friend, glowing orange in the reflection of all the Chudley Cannons merchandise, and saw worry in her eyes.

"I don't know if we have them the same as you, Ginny."

"You should focus on the baby," Ginny said. Downstairs, the back door slammed, and she knew Ron would be upstairs soon. "And don't worry so much about me."

Back in the garden, Harry took Ginny's arm as they walked to where they could Apparate home.

"Someday soon," he said, "we'll go home to the same place."

And he kissed her while she was sure at least three of her family members watched from the house.

* * *

At home, she collapsed on the couch and pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes. Being with Harry was so easy. Someday soon she would probably be moved into her old room with him, waiting for a baby in a house full of people who approved of him, and had never thought beyond that.

Ginny groaned and got up, ready for bed once she thought of another day at the office. But something stopped her on her way: her journal from the Manor, lying on the kitchen table as if it had always been there. She stared at it in shock for several moments before moving closer, hand outstretched to touch it with reverence. It was exactly as she remembered it – soft leather and thick pages. She flipped through it and saw all the things they had written what felt like years ago, and then arrived at a page with fresh words.

 _I want to drape you in jewels._

 _I want to wrap you in fur and silk._

 _I am desperate to showcase you, to parade you in a public place where everyone we know may see us and gasp._

 _When all this is over, I want you to come back. And stay._

 _I'll be waiting in the usual place tonight, if you'd like to remember how it felt._

And she did. Suddenly, there was no thought of work tomorrow or the long day she had just had. The ring no longer felt heavy on her finger, and there was only one place she could imagine being.

Diary in hand, she stepped into the fire.

* * *

There he was, in the same chair as always. He looked remarkably the same, and then she realized she must too. Only a few weeks had gone by, although she knew she had reverted years.

"Lovely ring," he said, setting aside his drink. Clearly, he was not surprised that she had come. "From someone special?"

"Very."

"Lead-Investigator-on-my-case special?"

"Your words, not mine."

"Why are you doing this to yourself, Ginevra?"

She put the diary down on the desk, and went to the bed, where she laid down fully clothed, head spinning. It felt perfect, comforters and cool sheets settling beneath her.

"Because you're here, and I'm not. Narcissa is better. You had the diary the whole time. Harry loves me, and _everyone_ hates you. A hundred other reasons I can't even think of. What I'm doing is what makes sense for us both."

But then he was there, beside her, leaning down. His arms went to either side of her head, and he was wonderfully close…

* * *

 **I promise to pick up _just_ where I left off ;)**


	19. nineteen

**A big chapter for these two, enjoy!**

* * *

He stayed there for a moment, perched above her. Her eyes met his and she knew that he could see everything, each desire and question inside her head.

"Go on then," she said. "Kiss me."

"Must I? I was enjoying just looking."

He smirked, apparently charmed by his own moves, and then flicked at the collar of her leather jacket.

"So many layers," he mused.

"It's starting to get chilly again."

"Take it off. It's warm in here. And your shoes."

She sat up to obey, and he backed off, unbuttoning his own shirt.

"You're getting ahead of yourself," she said, dropping the jacket off the side of the bed.

"Catch up, then," he said, although he seemed to be finished once he shed his shirt. Instead, he took one more step back and crossed his arms over his chest, watching.

This made Ginny feel flushed all over, and she quickly pulled her shirt over her head, delighted when she looked up and saw his eyes dilate at the exposure.

"What next?" she asked, purposefully softening her voice. He stepped forward and put his hands to her belt, undoing it.

"This," Lucius murmured, burying his head in her neck as he removed it. Ginny's arms wrapped around him, skin to skin, and he moved to unzip her pants. He helped her slip out of them, and then placed his hands on her waist, moving her farther to the center of the bed and crawling up with her.

"Now you," she said, lips against his. She undid his pants quickly and pushed them off, brushing against his erection as she did. She smiled and laid back.

"You're perfect," he said, just looking once more.

"Do you remember the first time I spent the night? When I begged for it and you wouldn't cave?"

"Hardest thing I've ever done."

"How hard?" she asked, placing her foot on his thigh and sliding upwards, teasing at the hem of his boxers.

"Very," he snarled, snatching her foot and pushing it back down the bed. He fell forward over her, and began to kiss her in earnest, tugging at her bra straps as he did. She arched her back for him to reach around and undo the clasp, moaning as his crotch ground into hers.

"Let's just kiss," she managed to gasp out. "For a long time. Before we do anything else."

He didn't respond, too busy putting her words into action. It was nice to just make out like that, like teenagers. They switched positions at one point, moving her onto top, and then later, rolled back to their original pose. Lucius relished leaving hickeys all across her neck and chest, knowing that while they could easily be healed in the morning, they marked her as indisputably his.

But then, finally, they both grew weary of being teenagers.

"More," she finally breathed out, clutching his head to her chest as he delighted in her breasts, and he began to work his way down, her hands guiding him as they tangled in his hair.

"Like this?" His fingers hooked through the sides of her underwear, and he pulled them down sharply, eliciting a gasp.

"Yes," she moaned, vaguely aware of how wet she already was and what he must be seeing.

"And this?" Lucius parted her folds slowly, laboriously, and dragged a single finger upwards through her wetness and across her clit.

Ginny could only bite her lip and moan again, thrusting her hips upwards in hope of more.

"Don't hold back, darling," he said, continuing his slow play. "Be as loud as you'd like; no one will hear. I can see what you want. We don't have any secrets."

He looked up to watch her squirm, hair spread out on the bed, hands clutching the sheets.

"I want to come," she gasped out. "Please. Use your tongue, finger me, anything. Just do it."

"Perfect," he said once more, and set to work.

* * *

Much later, they were curled together on the edge of sleep, Ginny's face pressed into Lucius's chest. She laid absentminded kisses on his skin as he rubbed her back, and the longer it went on the more she knew that her ill-advised words were going to spill over.

Ill-advised maybe, but if she couldn't say this, what was the point in being there and ruining everything else she had?

"Lucius?" she peeped, almost hoping he wouldn't hear.

"Mmmm," he replied, relaxed beyond words.

"I'm afraid I'm beginning to love you," she said, already hating herself for bringing it up.

Lucius was suddenly wide awake, sensing her nerves, and he pulled her closer to him even as she tried to scramble away.

"Beginning?" he asked, smiling over the top of her head. "Darling, I'm afraid to tell you that I began a long time ago."

Ginny let out a shaky sob that was halfway to a laugh, and he released her far enough so that they could look at one another.

"Really?"

"Truly." He pushed some hair from her face and wiped away the few tears she had spilled. "Since almost the very start."

"But what can we do?"

"To start," he said, lacing his hands with hers, "you can take off this ring. Give it back when you can; nothing about this is fair for you, or him for that matter. I don't care for Potter, but you know he doesn't deserve this. And I want you to be free of this lie you live; I would want that even if we weren't going to be together."

"And if I do give it back, what will I have left?"

"You will have me, angel. I promise you that I will find a way for us to be happy and free. If you want." He sounded resigned to something that hadn't happened yet.

"Why wouldn't I?" She looked up at him, truly shocked. "Do you think I told you I love you just to give up?"

"Ginny, you don't understand. I've made bad mistakes – "

But she wouldn't listen to that, couldn't.

"Lucius, I've made as many mistakes as you. Look at me, I'm engaged but I'm here, naked in bed, with you. I know everything you've done and I've _thought_ about everything you've done and I'm not scared anymore."

He looked at her with admiration, something swelling up in his chest.

"You're pretty," he murmured, playing with her hair.

"And you're changing the subject."

"That's all there is to say, I think. We have both made mistakes in life, and you're pretty."

* * *

 **But has Lucius figured out Ginny's part in his recent stint in the big house? We'll have to see...**

 **This story is starting to drag a bit for me, not sure why. Maybe I'll be hit with some inspiration and update as quickly as normal, or maybe it'll be a while. Any constructive and kindly worded plot ideas would be appreciated!**

 **Please, please go check out my new oneshot _Rosy_! It's just a little bit about a Weasley gathering after the war, with all the canon pairings. I think it's really sweet and happy, and it was fun to write characterizations for the next-gen and some of the less famous Weasley adults! **

**xoxo**


	20. twenty

Ginny did two things after she left the Manor the next morning.

1\. She went to the Ministry and quit her job.

2\. She had a long, terrible conversation with Harry Potter.

* * *

At the Ministry, she walked right in, in yesterday's clothing, and sat down before her boss. He looked up at her through crooked glasses, and she saw her future, should she not find the courage to speak, in the soup stain on his robes.

"Mr. Noel," she said, "I have to tell you that I never wanted this job. When I stopped playing Quidditch, I was afraid of having nothing to do, and this was close to Harry, so I took it. But I've come to find out that there are worse things that doing nothing for a little while. All of this is to say that while I appreciate everything you've done for me over the years, I can't stay here any longer."

Mr. Noel sighed, and the very small amount of hair left on his head flopped in the breeze coming through his faux window.

"Are you giving your two week notice then, Ms. Weasley?"

"No," she said thoughtfully. "I'm quitting. Right now."

She stood up and shook his hand, and he looked oddly proud.

* * *

Before meeting Harry, she went home and spent hours getting ready, taking much more time than she usually did for anything. Ginny went to the back of her closet to find a sundress, and she put on makeup she hadn't used in months. Finally satisfied, she dug very deep within herself, and set off to Grimmauld Place on foot.

Kreacher answered the door, looking very pleased to see her. He had come a long way since the days of Sirius's imprisonment in the house, and something about his cheery demeanor made her feel better about what she was about to do. Harry would at least have someone to get him out of bed.

He was in his study, really Buckbeak's old room converted. Since moving in, Harry had managed to redo to the house into a place people might actually want to live, painting walls white and getting rid of most of the old furniture. Sirius's bedroom was still exactly the same however, although it had been restored from its ransacked state. Ginny had lived there with him for a while, years back, and it had been in Sirius's room she had realized she wasn't happy. She would go in there and lie in his bed for hours, wondering what was wrong with her, and Harry, afraid of both Sirius's ghost and her, would never bother to come in.

Ginny was never sure how much working really happened in Harry's study, and indeed, when she knocked on the door she heard a drawer slam shut before he called for her to enter.

"Harry, if you're reading Spiderman comics again, you shouldn't hide it from me. Why do you always rush to keep it a secret ?"

"I'm writing reports, Gin," he said. She went in and sat across from him, and raised an eyebrow.

"Fine." Harry opened his bottom drawer and withdrew a comic book. "But it's not Spiderman today, see. It's a wizarding one."

"Much more respectable," she said, and they smiled at one another.

"You look really nice today, Gin. But you weren't at work. I thought maybe you were sick."

"Not sick, not today. I suppose that's part of what you and I need to talk about."

He ran his hands through his hair until it was sticking straight up.

"Well, if we're going to talk, we should go to the living room," he said, and stood up. Ginny made it to the door first, but he managed to grab her arm before she could open it.

"Hey," he said, and she glanced up nervously. He was still smiling, apparently unaware of what kind of talk they were going to have. He hadn't thought her clothes were odd, or that her sitting down across from him rather than on the arm of his chair meant anything. He was blind. "You forgot to give me a kiss."

* * *

Kreacher brought them tea in the living room, even stirring Ginny's sugar in without having to ask how she took it.

"Harry, I don't work at the Ministry anymore."

He took a long sip of tea, staring out the window into the garden.

"That's…is that good? They didn't fire you did they? Because if they did I can go in there tomorrow and sort –"

"No, it's not like that. I quit this morning. I mean, when I took that job, we both knew it wasn't forever. That it shouldn't be forever."

"Well, good for you, Gin. I'm glad you're ready to move on." He put his hand on her knee and looked at her fondly, clearly thinking the conversation was at its end. "Should we go out for dinner? Maybe it's a little weird to celebrate quitting, but I think you deserve it."

"No, I don't think so. There's more."

"Oh, ok."

"Harry, it's been a long time since I was a little girl with a crush on you. And back then, I thought there couldn't be anything better than this, than where we are right now."

Harry was starting to look a little frightened; finally, he had seen that something was wrong.

"You're who I want to love, Harry. You always have been."

"But I'm not. Is that what this is?"

Ginny was rummaging in her purse, trying to keep occupied to hold tears at bay. When she found the engagement ring she shoved it into his hands less gracefully than she had imagined she would.

"People change, and I did. We both went to hell and back, except you got farther away than I did. That's not your fault, but it's kept me from you all these years. Didn't you ever think something was wrong, Harry?"

"I just...I wanted you so much more than anything else. I hoped if we ignored the bad things, if I didn't scratch the surface, we were safer."

"Do you understand, though?"

Harry was crying, and so was she, but she felt freer than she had since the day on the beach with Andromeda and Lucius. Freer than that, even. It was almost over, finally.

"I don't know, Gin. I want you to be happy. But I still feel like it's supposed to be you and me."

"Do you trust me?"

"Always, Ginny."

"Then you have to trust that it isn't."

* * *

She left soon after that, after making him promise to get over her.

"Not like last time ok? I don't want you to waste more years waiting for me. I'm not worth it."

"Now that's not true," he said with a sad smile. "But I promise to try harder."

"Good. Tell Kreacher goodbye for me."

"You're gonna break his heart too?"

"He's tough. He'll handle it."

Ginny went home, and took her dress off, and ate a bowl of ice cream in her underwear.

* * *

Lucius spent the morning in Ginny's room, staring at the ceiling for several hours with barely any movement. Narcissa would be looking for him, he was sure, but he had to make a decision before he went to her. He had to, for once in his life, make a bold move.

Sighing, he put his feet on the floor. His head was pounding hard. Strange, because he had barely had a drop to drink the day before.

He got dressed, taking no care at all to look as if he wasn't wearing yesterday's clothes, and began his long, slow walk. By the time he made it out of the wing Ginny's room was in, there was a persistent tightness in his chest, and by the time he was at the end of the hallway his vision was tunneling. The next thing he knew, he was lying outside the bedroom door, opening his eyes as if he had slept there.

"Lucius?" a voice was saying, and he blinked to see Narcissa towering above him, wrapped in a thin dressing gown. She dropped to her knees beside him, and put his head her lap and her hand on his forehead. "Lucius, what's wrong? Where have you been? Shall I call someone?"

"I'm leaving you," he said, and his voice sounded far away.


	21. twenty-one

Narcissa wouldn't even listen to what Lucius wanted to say next. She stood right up and let his head hit the floor, and slammed the bedroom door. He lay there for a while longer, thinking how wonderful it would be to go to Chile for a nice, long vacation, and then found the strength to go after her.

She had flung a bag on the bed and was packing feverishly. In fact, she was most of the way finished, and was down to her underwear, getting dressed.

"Don't look at me," she snapped.

"Narcissa, where are you going? You're not well enough to travel."

"But I'm well enough for you to treat me this way? After all these years, Lucius, really. After everything I suffered, all the terrible things I watched you do, the things I let you do to Draco."

"I never –"

"No, you never did anything, did you?"

"Please tell me where you're going."

"I'll go to Andromeda's. Or to Draco's. They'll have me, they're my real family. Blood family."

"Let me go, Narcissa. They can come to you. I don't want this to disrupt you."

"I have two bad pieces of news for you then, Lucius Malfoy. You can't go anywhere. You're under house arrest. And you've already disrupted me, so there's no use pretending you haven't."

She slammed the valise shut, and stormed away.

She was right about that. There was nowhere Lucius could go, other than into the hedge maze. So he went, following every turn to the center with ease. He had mastered the thing as a child, and hadn't been lost since his memorable 9th birthday party. When he arrived at his destination, he didn't know what to do.

* * *

Ginny was still on the couch in her underwear, asleep, when the doorbell rang. That was a strange occurrence; the Muggles who lived around her thought her apartment vacant, and her friends usually used the fireplace. She got up and peered through the crack in the curtain. Draco Malfoy was standing outside, and not considering anything, she tossed the door open.

"It's late," she muttered, rubbing her eyes. When she focused on him, she read shock in his face.

"Jesus, Weasley, don't you own a bathrobe?"

Ginny glanced down, gasped, and ran away, calling for him to come in.

When she returned in a thrown together outfit, he had already made himself comfortable with a jelly doughnut and a glass of milk on her couch.

"You can have something to eat," she said dryly.

"Do you know where my mother is right now, Ginny?"

"Um…no, I don't think so. Home, probably."

"Home, yes. My home. Crying in _my_ bed, because I only have one bed at the moment."

"Draco, this doesn't concern me, does it?"

"Father told her he's leaving her, which is very rich because he's under house arrest and can't go anywhere at all."

Ginny's heart leapt straight into her throat, but she tried to keep her face relaxed. Evidently, it didn't work.

"You look pleased. I thought you were on my side now."

"You don't own me, Draco. I did what I said I would. I was even back with Harry for a while. I tried. But at the end of the day, what's the use in trying if it can never work?"

Draco finished his doughnut and his milk before answering.

"I'm still mad as hell at my father."

"I don't see why you shouldn't be."

They stared at one another, contemplating the future.

"I'll be going," he said.

"Yes."

"What are you going to do?"

"Pray he sends me an owl, frankly."

"He will. He's never been alone there before."

"Goodbye, Draco."

* * *

He did write, of course. The owl came only minutes after Draco left. His note was short, but got his point across quite well, she found. In no time at all she was back in her sundress, makeup touched up, going back to where she might finally have a home.

Lucius was already in bed when she got there, and when she approached him she found that he was down to his underwear.

"Waiting for me, are you?"

"I'm so tired, Ginevra. I hope you won't mind if we just sleep."

"I don't mind." She was already stepping out of her clothes. "My day has been hard too."

"How hard?"

"'Break up with your boyfriend, quit your job' hard."

"Oh. Mine was only 'leave your wife' hard."

"Well, in the morning we can hash out who is indebted to who."

"And what will the debtor owe?"

"Services."

"Let's go to sleep then. It'll make the morning come faster, like Christmas."

* * *

The morning did come quickly, although they woke very late. It was discussed, and decided, that they were both in the other's debt, and payment went on for at least an hour.

"I love you," he breathed when they were finished, lying on top of her, face buried in her neck.

"I love you too, but you're crushing me." Ginny put her hands delicately on Lucius's shoulders and pushed, rolling him off to his side of the bed. He left a sheen of sweat across her chest, and she ran her fingers dreamily through it, eyes half closed.

"You know we're going to have to start doing things," she said, lifting up on her elbow to look at him. He was looking, without shame, at her breasts.

"What kinds of things?" Lucius asked without moving his eyes.

Ginny pulled the sheets up and put her head on his chest.

"Adult things, I guess. Divorce. Moving. Explanations."

"We don't have to explain anything to anyone."

"That's very funny. You suppose you won't ever speak to Narcissa again?"

"I suppose I'd like not to."

"You love her. She deserves a talk."

"Yes, I love her, but that doesn't mean I want to explain loving a new, wonderful woman more to her."

"I'm wonderful?"

"More wonderful than anything I've ever seen."

They were quiet, and outside she heard birds calling to one another.

"Tell me what you told Harry," he said. "What do you say to the person you love when you're…"

"Ready to stop loving?"

"Yes."

"I told him I wanted to want him, but I can't. My heart just won't let me."

"The heart. A troublesome organ."

"Not if you give in to its wishes."

"No, my dear, then it's worse."

* * *

 **Ok sorry this is a little short and obtuse but I was taking forever with it and then decided y'all would probably rather get an update than keep waiting for me to make this longer...hopefully I'm right!**

 **xoxo**


	22. twenty-two

**Wow, remember me? Got caught up in my other fic there for a while! Hope you enjoy the update!**

* * *

"So this is what it'll be like? When it's all over?"

Ginny and Lucius were eating breakfast on the terrace, dew still drying on the lawn. She was wrapped in one of his big sweaters, hair a bit disheveled, and Lucius had on a pair of navy and green striped pajamas that she teased him mercilessly over.

"I'm comfortable," he had said when he debuted them to her, straightening his collar. "And they're soft, feel."

That she couldn't argue with.

"This _is_ what it's like, my dear. There are some ugly things yet to come, I'm sure, but you are here now."

"Mmm," she mused, reflecting on both the situation and the bowl of fruit an elf had just set in front of her.

"Eat that slowly," Lucius said, touching her wrist as she selected a strawberry.

"You're a horny old man."

"Mmm," he replied, sliding down in his chair. "Get to it then."

Ginny did exactly as he asked, placing the strawberry between her lips and rolling her eyes back, even moaning a bit to add to the charade.

"You're not taking it seriously," he chided.

"How can I?" she replied, biting the strawberry neatly in half with such ferocity that he winced. "I'm not going to put on a show for you out here."

"Why not? We're alone."

"Beg to differ." Ginny nodded up above his head, where an owl was coming in for a landing.

"Owls don't count," he said as the creature landed between them and selected a strawberry for herself.

"They are very cheeky, though," Ginny said, "taking a bite to without even asking."

"Only this one, I'm afraid. She's Draco's."

The owl flew away as soon as Lucius relieved her of the letter she bore; clearly she was not expecting a reply. The note was very short, betraying his son's annoyance.

 _Coming over in an hour or so. No need to hide Ginger this time, I know she's there._

 _\- Draco_

"Behold our future," he said, holding the note out to Ginny. "Intrusions from those who used to love us."

"Stop it. He still loves you." She read the note in a split second and then glanced up, and was able to spy a hint of worry on Lucius's face.

"You're afraid he'll hate you," she said. It was not a question.

"Not afraid. I already know." Lucius was getting up, and she followed him into the house.

"It won't be forever," she said, practically chasing him down. When she got even with him she thrust her hand into his. "Nothing could stop him from loving you, Lucius."

"Really? Because I can think of a lot of things I've done over the years that might not win me Father of the Year."

"Yes, maybe, but let me tell you something: no one else I know spoke so constantly of their father at school, or admired them so much. I mean, half the kids didn't mention theirs once. But Draco…"

"A bit annoying about it, was he?" There was a little lightness in his voice, and she was glad to feel his hand relax around hers.

"A bit like his father," she quipped. They had reached the top of the stairs and she realized with a jolt that he was leading her to the master bedroom, rather than to the room she had always stayed in before. She pulled back against him.

"Lucius, my things –"

"Yes, your things. All three of them. I had the elves move them to my room this morning. Quite a task it was, too; I think one of them had to use both hands."

"But…are we going to sleep there? In her – your, bed?"

He shot her a look, one eyebrow raised.

"I suppose I'd prefer the bed I've been sleeping in for 30 years, but there are plenty of rooms to choose from at this end of the house if you insist on switching. But we are moving you over here, either way. I can't take that long walk every time I want my slippers or a different book; I am just an old man, after all."

"A _horny_ old man. You've forgotten the most important part."

"Careful. Insolent girls get punished."

"Horny, as I said."

He released her hand and reached around to squeeze her ass instead, propelling her to run forward and through the open door at the end of the hall.

* * *

Draco found them looking very presentable in the library, almost as if 30 minutes earlier Lucius hadn't had Ginny pressed up against the bathroom sink, hands under her blouse.

"What a sweet little domestic scene," he said when the elf showed him into the room. Ginny could see that the smirk on his face was purely defensive; his eyes were almost skittish. She expected Lucius to shoot a snarky remark right back, but he simply went forward to shake his son's hand.

"Sit down, Draco. Would you care for anything?"

Ginny thought she heard him mutter something under his breath – to her it sounded a bit like "One thing in particular", but she couldn't be sure. Draco chose a place in an armchair across from where Ginny sat on the sofa, and it seemed to pain him to give her a small nod. She smiled back in what she hoped was a kind way as Lucius settled in next to her, keeping a respectable distance.

"Not really," he said aloud. "No, I'm fine."

"I'm sure Ginevra and I would be perfectly happy to indulge you in a hearty dose of small talk, but I have a feeling you'd rather get down to business and tell us why you've come."

Draco looked to be weighing his words very carefully as he looked across to them.

"Do you care about Mum at all anymore?" he finally asked.

Ginny wished it would have been appropriate to grasp Lucius's hand at that moment, but they had decided beforehand that they wouldn't touch in front of Draco. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye instead, and saw him sit up a little bit straighter. She noted how similar father and son looked when they were thinking strategically.

"Yes, Draco, of course I do. You do not just stop loving someone overnight, not when you've been together for so long."

"Could have fooled me," Draco said.

"I assume there's something else you want to say?"

"She's not doing well again. Andromeda and I thought you should know, although I'm not sure why it matters anymore."

"It does matter, Draco. You were right to tell me. Are her old Healers with her?" Lucius had leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees, and Ginny heard distinct panic in his voice.

"Maybe I should leave you two –" she ventured, the first thing she had said the whole time. She was becoming distinctly uncomfortable and began to stand up, but Lucius placed a firm hand on her leg.

"You will stay," Lucius replied, coming close to shouting. He then took a deep breath, and softened his tone. "There is no reason for you to go."

Startled, Ginny sank back down, and chanced a glance at Draco. He was still focused solely on his father, clearing working hard to maintain a passive expression.

"Go on, Draco. Does she have the proper care?" Lucius finished.

"She's at Andromeda's now, and yes, all the same people have come to examine her. But Professor McGonagall's come now as well, to tell about the diary. She said that she and Flitwick and Slughorn have all been examining it whenever they can and trying whatever they can think of to understand the curse, but they can't figure anything. They want to destroy it and have it over with. But of course we don't know if that will affect Mother."

"Has anyone tried writing in it?" Ginny asked. Both men finally looked at her, both as if she was recently dropped on her head.

"No one can touch it, Ginny," Lucius reminded her gently, as if talking to a small child.

"With gloves you can. You must have before, didn't you? Or you could open it with your wand and only touch it with the quill. Or have the quill enchanted to write without anyone touching it. Honestly, don't you have any imagination?"

"But it can't possibly write back. He's not in it anymore, is he?" Draco pointed out.

"Once again, I see a lack of imagination. I knew Tom Riddle better than anyone, I like to think, and I believe that with a bit of dedication he could have charmed a diary to keep talking even after he was gone. And I'm sure that he had that dedication, and I'm also sure that neither of you are foolish enough to deny that."

Lucius and Draco sat in silence for a moment, and she took the time to catch her breath. Something about making her point had been nerve-wracking, and she wasn't sure if had been talking about Tom or breaking into a family conversation in which she felt she had no place.

"She's right, Draco," Lucius finally said. "You should tell them to try it."

Draco stood up, smoothing his robes.

"They'll want to talk to you," he said to Ginny. "You're the one with experience in the matter."

"A bridge to cross when we come to it, Draco," Lucius said. "Go back to your mother now."

Draco made to go as Lucius leaned forward and rested his head in his hands. With Draco's back turned, Ginny let her hand go to Lucius, rubbing his back.

"She may die," Draco said, stopping in his tracks after only a few slow steps. He was clearly unable to leave without letting his anger spill over, and Ginny couldn't blame him; in his place, she was sure she would have started out by yelling and ended in tears. "And then what? Do you think they'll let you off your house arrest, or will it be the opposite? Straight to Azkaban for murder?"

"Draco," Lucius warned, but he was raging now and couldn't be stopped.

"And she's asked for you, too, you know. She's all feverish and she doesn't remember and she wants you there. So what can we say to her? That you won't come, or that you can't? Which would you prefer for her to remember you by?"

"She is perfectly welcome to come back to the Manor, I hope you know."

Draco scoffed.

"I wouldn't do that to her, not unless you're going to send Weasley away. At least at Andromeda's she's safe from more hurt."

"I would love to argue with you all day, son, and hear every insult you have to throw at myself and Ms. Weasley, but I believe we both know that's all useless now. Don't you agree? You're going to be angry with me no matter what."

"Damn right, I am! And at you too," Draco replied, turning to Ginny. "How many people have you turned against or used over the past months? Not just me; Potter and Andromeda. And Father too, for that matter."

Ginny stuttered for a moment, until Lucius interrupted.

"What on earth are you talking about, Draco?"

A smile spread across Draco's face in a very sinister way. In this terrible moment, he had been given a gift: the ability to tear it all apart.

"You never told him, did you, Weasley?"

They were all standing at that point, Ginny and Lucius having jumped to their feet in the heat of debate, and at some point or another Ginny had let her hand close over Lucius's wrist. Through the pads of her fingers, she could feel his pulse spike at Draco's accusation.

"Told me what?" he asked, and suddenly, for Ginny, everything changed to slow motion.

* * *

 **Ginny and Lucius have forgiven one another more than once before, but we'll see how they handle this hurdle! xoxo**


	23. twenty-three

"I'll just leave you two, then," Draco said, lips curling. Ginny wanted to reach out and grab him, to wrap her arms around his legs like a child who doesn't want their parents to leave them at school. After all, she hadn't done it alone, had she? He had brought her the diary, egged her on, pushed when she was in a low place.

Draco apparently read all this in her face.

"You expect people to understand and forgive you every single time you do the wrong thing, don't you? All because of something that happened when you were a child, something we've all tried to mend many times over. Now it's time to own up to something, just one thing, all by yourself," he said, and left her and his father standing there in a room that suddenly felt unfamiliar to her. Ginny listened to his footsteps click away, and then heard the front door slam. Her hand was still on Lucius's wrist and Lucius was still standing there, perfectly still.

"Told me what?" he finally repeated, and she released her hold on him.

Ginny's breath was coming too shallow, and she sat down hard on the couch. She was vaguely aware of Lucius snapping his fingers and speaking to an elf, asking for a glass of water. Then he was pressing something cold into her hand, and she could focus on that, on not spilling the drink. And then, somehow, she was able to lift her head and take a sip and look at the man whom she had so badly betrayed.

"I don't want to say," she said through chapped lips, and even as she wondered how they could possibly have become chapped since she had so delicately put on lip gloss for his amusement only an hour before, he lifted the glass to her lips.

"It can't be this bad, Ginevra. Just tell me." He was crouching at her feet, one hand wrapped around hers on the glass and the other placed at the crease of her hip.

"You're under house arrest," she blurted out. He helped her lower the glass to the floor, and then moved to up to sit next to her.

"I'm brutally aware."

"Yes, and I know why."

"Everyone knows why."

"I _really_ know why." For some reason she was hoping he would guess, or that he already had, and then he would laugh and hug her and say, "Oh that, that doesn't matter in the least."

He did not. He just went on sitting there, looking at her.

"You'll have to spit it out, or I'm simply going to leave until you tell me," he said.

"Draco came to me when you and I had –"

What had they done? Broken up? Stopped seeing one another? All those things sounded too official for how their relationship had come to pass.

"After I left the Manor. When I saw the diary," she decided. "And he asked if I was angry with you, and I said he was, and he said that I should help him get the Ministry involved. So I did."

Lucius's hand hadn't moved from her leg, but he was no longer looking at her. Instead he was staring at the fireplace, which was stacked with logs but unlit.

"Go on," he said, voice strangled.

"He brought me the diary and I took it to Harry and I pretended that I only knew about the whole affair because Draco had told me about it and I thought it would be the right thing to do to help him. So really I didn't do anything Draco couldn't have done by himself," she pleaded.

"But you helped."

"Yes."

"And then you agreed to marry Harry Potter."

"Well, we've already gone over that, Lucius. That's nothing."

"Suddenly, it feels like something. Is there anything else?"

"Nothing else, I promise. I promise, please, Lucius, don't be angry," she said, starting to panic.

His hand drew away.

"I'd like to lie down."

"No, stay, just stay here."

"I'm going to lie down, Ginevra. You may stay here, or go home. I'll let you know when I'd like to talk."

She was sobbing but didn't get up to follow him. Instead she just watched him go, and then curled up right where she sat, head on her knees. After a moment she felt compelled, for some reason she could not explain, to reach down and tip over the glass of water. She watched it seep into the oriental rug and spread across the wood floor, and then wished she hadn't done it.

* * *

Hours passed. An elf brought her a sandwich. She ate it. The clocks chimed all over the house, all at slightly different moments, creating a cacophony, many times over. Still, he didn't return.

Unable to take it any longer, Ginny went upstairs. With each step she got farther and farther from her fear, and closer to the certainty that she was beyond reproach. By the time she was tossing open his bedroom door, she had almost forgotten what they had fought over.

He looked up from his book, almost bored in expression.

"I didn't ask after you yet," he said. He shut the book on his lap and leaned back on his pillows, closing his eyes.

"I won't wait for you to make up your mind forever, you know."

"Has it been forever already?"

"You don't understand. You had just sent me away. I was distraught. Of course I wanted to help hurt you."

"Now hold on just one minute, Ms. Weasley. I never _sent_ you anywhere."

She had gotten him riled up, eyes open and book pushed aside so he could swing his legs off the bed.

"Showing me the cursed artifact that ruined my childhood was intended to what exactly, then? Make me laugh?"

"I was trying to be honest with you."

"Like fun you were. You wanted to be back with Narcissa, perfect Narcissa who was starting to get better and who you didn't need to throw your life away for. You did it so you could stop lying to her, and feel good about yourself, and now you want to punish me for reacting in a way you don't like."

Her voice was rising, and she inched closer to where he sat.

"Don't drag Narcissa into this."

"Why not? Isn't she involved? You dragged Harry into it, and I'm not even married to him. You and Narcissa _are_ married, something I'm sure you haven't forgotten."

"What would you have me do about it? Divorce her now, when she barely knows who I am?"

"I just don't think you have any right to act as if you are morally superior to me."

"Nothing I have ever done to you has left this house. I didn't try to meddle in your real life, did I? I offered you a place to hide if anything. So you repay me by having me thought a criminal yet again, for the third time in my life."

There was a beat of silence there, a misstep in their otherwise perfectly measured verbal sparring match.

"The things that happen inside this house aren't real to you?" she asked, suddenly deflated. "This isn't our real life?"

"Fuck," he whispered. He slumped down where he sat, and they both just stayed there, silent and dejected.

"I didn't mean it like that," he ventured.

"Sounded like it."

"Forgive me."

She sat down on the floor.

"Our relationship, real or not, is a constant wheel of forgiveness," she said. "That can't be right."

"At least we aren't holding grudges."

"I suppose."

"Do you know what I was thinking while you were yelling at me?"

"That I was right?"

"No. I was thinking about how badly I wanted to grab you and bring you over here and tear off all your clothes."

"Lucius…"

"It's true."

"At some point we'll have to talk about things, you know. You can't always distract me like this."

"Sometimes it's you doing the distracting."

"Sometimes, but not today."

He sighed.

"So what shall we do instead, if fucking it away isn't healthy?"

Ginny stood up.

"I want us to both forgive each other, one last time. That will be it. If you're serious about this, we'll have a clean slate and it can be as if nothing ever happened. We can be partners in everything, and move forward. So are you serious?"

"Do you really think it can be like that? Like everything has always been normal between us – like you aren't my son's age and I'm not married and I didn't ever have you possessed and you never had me imprisoned?"

"I think that it's our only hope. If we fail, we fail. But I want to try, don't you? Don't we owe ourselves that after all this fuss?

"Yes," he sighed. "I want to try."

"I thought so."

"May I apologize for one more thing, before we begin this new chapter?"

"May I come to bed with you?"

"Yes, of course."

He made room for her, and for a second, when their hands touched on the bedspread, she wished he had grabbed her the way he claimed to have wanted during the argument.

"Comfortable?"

"Very."

"Shall I say it then?"

"Yes."

"I apologize for making you sit with me and Draco. It was cruel to make you watch me worry over Narcissa. But I only did it because I couldn't have faced him alone."

"I thought so. When you shouted at me and held me back from leaving, I guessed you were afraid."

"Terrified. You forgive me?"

"Yes, I do. And I will always stand by you just as I did this morning."

"Perfect."

Her head came to rest on his chest as it had many times before, and she let her breathing match his until they were both calm and soft, melting together.

"Lucius?"

"Hmm?"

"Will you tell me what you would have liked to do after you tore my clothes of?"

He tutted.

"Naughty girl."

"No more secrets," she chided.

"That wasn't part of the deal."

"It should have been. I'm adding it now."

"You'd really like to know?"

"Why not? Can't I handle it?"

He looked at her a moment.

"You can handle anything," he whispered.

* * *

 **Sooo...I did write what he wanted to do to her, but posting smutty stuff still makes me squeamish so I took it out! Forgive me, xoxo**


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